NASSAU, Bahamas | After enjoying their first day on the island upon arriving Tuesday, players scattered around the resort Wednesday morning and into the afternoon before coming together as a unit for the first contest of their international tour."It was a little difficult for the guys staying right here at the beach," Alabama State head coach Lewis Jackson said. "We let them walk around and enjoy themselves and see the beaches and the sites. We got off to a slow start, but we were able to pick it up and play really well. We had a little bit of a let down, but were able to come back from that. Our guards played well, we just need our bigs to step and rebound the ball better.
"But that is the purpose of these trips, to help identify things to work on to get better. We fought through fatigue and were able to have some mental toughness, and got what we needed to get."
Alabama State used four players in double figures and pulled away in the second half for a 106-81 victory over the Atlantis All-Stars Wednesday night at Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium. Reginald Gee led the way with 21 points for the Hornets, while newcomer Leon Freeman-Daniels added 17 - 15 of which came in the first half of the win. Jacoby Ross added 12 (five assists) and Kevin Holston added 11 in the victory for Alabama State.
The game started off with back-to-back baskets from Ross - the reigning SWAC Freshman of the Year - and Gee, before Freeman-Daniels erupted for three first half three-pointers to help extend the Hornets' lead to double figures midway through the first half. Alabama State was able to withstand a pair of runs by the Atlantis All-Stars in the first half and took a 55-48 lead at the break; outscoring the opposition by eight points in each the first and second quarter.
"Jacoby and Gee are guys we are going to rely on to carry is," Jackson said. "It was great to see Leon come in and shoot the ball, he is an athletic kid. He will be the third guy in that rotation, he can score and is coming along really well. Tobi played extremely well for us, we have a lot to work with."
The Hornets were able to push the lead to 85-69 after the third quarter as they outscored the opposition by nine, before running away in the fourth quarter.
Alabama State finished the night shooting 48.6 (36-of-74) percent from the floor and 37 (10-of-27) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 70.6 (24-of-34) percent from the free throw line, while grabbing 44 rebounds - led by Therrell Gosier II with six on the night. Austin Rogers, Gee and Fausto Pichardo each ended the night with five rebounds. Azariah Seay added four assists in the Hornets' win.
Meanwhile, Dylan Musgrove led four Atlantis All-Stars in double figures with 25 points. Kenneth Pratt added 18, while Henry Rolle added 12 and Akeil Bullard chipped in 10.
"You have to be able to stay balanced on these trips with different things going on and not knowing the teams you are playing," Jackson said. "We just have to focus. There was a point in time when you couldn't watch teams play to scout, and you had to prepare for them that way. We just have to continue to stay fundamentally sound on defense, and that is the kind of team we want to have. We have another game in less than 24 hours, we just need to continue to work on us and not worry about the opponent."
Alabama State again will enjoy the morning off Thursday, before hitting the floor at 5:00 pm (est) against the Bahamas All-Stars at the Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium.
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