Mississippi State Falls At Home To Alabama A&M

Courtesy AAMU Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State surrendered a 15-point lead Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs dropped a 59-57 decision to Alabama A&M in a men’s basketball game played at Humphrey Coliseum.

Playing for the first time since Christmas break, the Bulldogs fell to 4-7 and 3-1 home. Not even a return to the lineup by junior guard Jalen Steele could provide enough of a lift for the Maroon and White.

Steele played 27 minutes in his first action since fracturing a wrist on Nov. 13 against Florida Atlantic. Steele hit his first two shots from the field and finished with 10 points.

“Obviously, it is a disappointing loss because it is a home loss,” MSU head coach Rick Ray said. “You want to protect your home court. You need to win your games at home. We had been good at home this year.”

MSU (4-7) built the early lead by dominating inside. Reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Gavin Ware went to work early as the Maroon and White built a quick 14-3 advantage.

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Alabama A&M defeats Mississippi State 59-57

STARKVILLE, Mississippi --  It is the biggest victory in head coach Willie Hayes young career at the helm of the Bulldog basketball program.

“This was a major victory for not only A&M men’s basketball but the University and the conference,” said Hayes. 

Juniors Jeremy Crutcher and Demarquelle Tabb led the Bulldogs with 14 each while Tabb posted seven boards and Crutcher collected five assists. Brandon Ellis finished with his season high 13 points and three steals.

Although G. A. Hill totaled seven points, those were the difference makers as he scored the final points to helped A&M claim their first victory over Mississippi State.

The game did not start off well for the Bulldogs as MSU jumped out to a 27-12 lead which was their largest of the contest.

The 5:21 mark rolled around and saw State holding a 30-15 advantage when the tables started to turn in A&M’s favor.

Hayes and company then went on a 10-3 run to end the first half and cut the lead to eight. Justan Banks got a dunk to give the Maroon & White a momentum bucket going into half-time down 33-25.

“The main thing we wanted to do is keep the ball out of the interior,” Hayes mentioned. “State hit some jumpers early but my thing was to pressure the guards and keep the ball out of the paint.”

“The players stayed poised throughout the contest. They never quit even when we lost the lead a few times they continued to fight,” Hayes quoted.

The run continued in the second half as AAMU scored the first eight points before State hit their first two. From there the lead changed hands on seven different occasions as the home crowd started chanting for the Dogs but the A&M faithful, which was sitting behind the bench, gave the Bulldogs the motivation they needed.

Box Score

Photogallery

A&M claimed their first lead of the game at the 11:25 mark 39-38.

Mississippi State grabbed a four point lead at the 10:04 mark 43-39 but two free throws by Crutcher, then a lay-up by Ellis tied the score. Once again State grabbed a four point lead 47-43 but a three pointer by Ellis cut that lead to one.

Alabama A&M then grabbed their second lead at the 4:16 mark by one 52-51 but MSU was able to regain the lead and push it to five with 2:18 remaining 57-52.

That’s when Hill took over the game and rebounded a Crutcher miss and was fouled. The best free-throw shooter on the team then hit two straight from the charity stripe. He then stole the ball and laid it up to cut the lead to one.

Another Hill steal and layup put AAMU up by one 58-57. Hill then hit the first of two shots to give A&M a 59-57 lead. On the second free-throw the Boise State transfer rebounded his lone miss and held it to run out the clock and give Alabama A&M their fourth win of the year.

“This was one of those games we knew we could win. Mississippi State had a lot of injuries and we knew we could take advantage of that,” Hayes continued.

“We came out in the second half and got out to a fast start something we always try to do,” Hayes said. “Ball pressure created the opportunities we needed due to their lack of available players.”

On G. A. Hill’s play coach Hayes was quoted saying, “G. A’s tenacity is what gave us the lead and was crucial to the victory.”

The win is a first in five tries for A&M and a first versus a team from the Southeastern Conference.
Craig Sword scored 14 points to lead the Dogs while Gavin Ware scored 12 points and totaled 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs will look to continue the win streak when they open SWAC play versus Grambling State on Wednesday, January 2^nd. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. in Elmore Gymnasium.

COURTESY ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

San DiegoToreros hold off Morgan State 66-63

SAN DIEGO, California  --  The USD Toreros earned a 66-63 home win over Morgan State to close out their nonconference slate with a much needed victory heading into WCC play next week. Johnny Dee scored a game-high 24 points, Chris Manresa notched his second consecutive double-double with 10 points and career-high 13 rebounds, and Cameron Miles gave the team a huge spark with a season-high 12 points. Miles' play was huge with sophomore guard Christopher Anderson sitting out his first collegiate game with a bout with the flu.

"Going into the game without Chris (Anderson), certainly I was concerned on how our team would respond without him," said head coach Bill Grier. "I can't tell you how proud I am of Cameron Miles. He gave us such great minutes to go with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists with just one turnover. We really needed that. And him being a senior leader, I think he really relished in the moment."

Morgan State (3-7) held the early lead against the Toreros (7-8) until Dee connected on his third basket of the game and second three-pointer for a 10-8 edge at the 13:13 mark. The Bears inched ahead by four at 14-10, but USD rallied back right away and eventually knot it up at 27-all on a free throw by Simi Fajemisin. A Dee trey and Miles old fashion three-point play gave the Toreros a 33-27 intermission lead.

In the second half it was again Miles who hit a jumper with 16:39 to go that put the Toreros ahead 41-34. USD would not relinquish their lead the rest of the way, however, twice the Bears pulled to within one point, the last time coming with eight seconds left on a three-pointer by DeWayne Jackson.

Morgan State immediately fouled Dee who cashed in on back-to-back charities for the second time in a span of five seconds for the 66-63 lead. Justin Black's long 3-point attempt glanced off the rim at the buzzer.

Manresa matched his point and rebound totals (10 points, 13 rebounds) for the second straight game. It marked the 12th time in Dee's two-year career that he reached 22 or more points. Morgan State was paced by Black (16 points) and forward Anthony Hubbard (12 points).

USD returns after the New Year to host the Portland Pilots in both teams West Coast Conference opener. The game is scheduled for Thursday, January 3rd, at 8:00 pm.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Alabama State 73, AUM 50: Hornets sting Warhawks at Acadome

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  Saturday’s Alabama State-AUM contest was interesting early, but the Hornets cruised in the second half to earn their second win of the season. The 73-50 win couldn’t have come at a better time with the Hornets preparing for their conference opener against Jackson State on Wednesday.

“Going in to your conference with your last game being a win,” Alabama State coach Lewis Jackson said, “It gives you that boost to come to practice and work hard. It doesn’t take much to get the guys fired up. So hopefully they’ll come out and play with a lot of intensity and work hard these next few days.”

By NAIA rules, a game against a Division I opponent counts as an exhibition for AUM. The Warhawks (4-6) hung tough early, trailing 28-27 after a first half that featured seven ties and eight lead changes. But in the second half, the Hornets (2-11) pulled away.

“We played pretty good in the first half,” AUM coach Larry Chapman said. “The second half, we couldn’t sustain it. We missed some great opportunities and turned the ball over. A lot of those turned into easy baskets. That hurt us.”

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Thomas, House Push Men's Basketball Past Prairie View A&M

HOUSTON, Texas   --   Forwards TaShawn Thomas and Danuel House posted 22 points apiece to lead the University of Houston Men's Basketball team to an 80-75 win against Prairie View A&M on Saturday afternoon inside Hofheinz Pavilion.

Thomas, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, connected on 7-of-15 shots from the field and 8-of-10 attempts from the free throw line and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, including six off the offensive glass. House, competing in his first collegiate season out of Hightower High, nailed all seven of his free throw attempts - including four in the final 24.1 seconds - and added seven boards of his own.

With the win, the Cougars improved to 10-2 overall and became only the 15th team in school history to start 10-2 or better through their first 12 games. Houston also avenged an 81-80 loss to the Panthers on Nov. 28 in Prairie View, Texas, a setback that snapped the Cougars' five-game winning streak to open the season.

Prairie View A&M dropped to 5-8 overall.

The game was close early before the Cougars used an 18-2 run during a near 6-minute stretch to build a 25-12 advantage. The team eventually took a 46-32 lead into the locker room at the break.

The Cougars built as much as a 17-point lead early in the second half and led 74-58 when Thomas put a basket back up and in after his own missed shot with just under seven minutes remaining.  However, Prairie View A&M took off on a 14-2- run during the next five-and-a-half minutes to move to within 76-72 on Rasi Jenkins' jumper with 1:29 to go.

The Panthers had a chance to move even closer after a Cougar turnover, but House forced a Prairie View A&M giveaway on a fast break. On the ensuing possession, Thomas snared the offensive rebound on a missed Houston 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the game, forcing the Panthers to foul.

House converted all four of his free throw attempts in the final 21 seconds to seal the victory for the Cougars.

Competing on the same day as his grandfather's funeral, sophomore guard Joseph Young added 17 points with three 3-pointers., while senior forward Leon Gibson came off the bench to pour in 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting with a pair of treys and seven rebounds.

Prairie View A&M guard Jourdan DeMuynck led all players with 27 points on 10-of-21 shooting, while guard Carl Blair finished with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Demondre Chapman came off the bench to record 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting with a team-high eight rebounds.

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NOTES
• Houston improved to 7-1 inside the friendly confines of Hofheinz Pavilion this season.
• Sophomore forward TaShawn Thomas posted his sixth 20-point game of the season and his second straight... Was the sixth 20-point game of his career.
• Freshman forward Danuel House posted the third 20-point game of his season/career.
• Sophomore guard Joseph Young saw his streak of consecutive 20-point games snapped at three.
• Thomas made the 43rd consecutive start of his collegiate career... He has started every game of his career.

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Game Book | Quotes | Photos |

UP NEXT
Following Saturday's game, the Cougars continue their season-long homestand inside Hofheinz Pavilion when they play host to Texas-Pan American at 7 p.m., Jan. 3.

From there, the stand wraps up when the Cougars open Conference USA play vs. SMU at 7 p.m., Jan. 9.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Marquette is sloppy but beats North Carolina Central

MARQUETTE, Wisconsin  --  The unadorned numbers reflect that Marquette finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 9-3 record.

But that tells you little about the Golden Eagles' preparedness for Big East play. Ready or not it begins New Year's night against Connecticut without coach Buzz Williams, who will serve a one-game suspension for an off-season recruiting violation.

Once again Saturday, Marquette allowed a lesser opponent like North Carolina Central (6-7) to hang around a little too long for comfort with a season-high 20 turnovers. It was a tie game with 5 minutes left, at which point Marquette, as it has against similar schedule fodder, showed why its brand attracts better players, winning, 75-66.

"I feel like sometimes we play down to our competition," sophomore forward Juan Anderson said. "Once the Big East starts, we'll adjust and buckle down."

But since this has happened against Southeastern Louisiana, Maryland-Baltimore County, Savannah State and the like, it is fair to ask if it could happen against UConn and Georgetown and such.

It is safe to assume that UConn and Georgetown, the first two league opponents, won't disappear at the end.

"I think Juan said it best," junior guard Vander Blue said. "We can play with teams as good as Butler, then we lose to Green Bay."

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Tuskegee looking to compete at No. 3 UAH Sunday

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama  --  Tuskegee travels to UAH Sunday at 3 p.m.

But Golden Tigers' coach Leon Douglas isn't concerned with the outcome against the Chargers, win or lose, as much as he is about the effort his team puts forth, especially on the defensive end, in its last non-conference game of the regular season.

Tuskegee has played all but one of its games away from home this season while getting out to a 1-7 start. It'll be its second time matching up against the Chargers (7-1, 2-0 in the Gulf South Conference), ranked No. 3 in the nation in the latest NCAA Division II poll.

UAH bested the Golden Tigers 81-66 in a tournament down in Pensacola, Fla. back on November 23^rd.

"I want them to compete, compete hard and play hard," Douglas said. "If I can get that, I'll know I'm basically where I want to be. Of course, if we win, that's always a positive but I want to see how they're going to compete and what level of intensity they're going to bring to the court."

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