Men's Basketball | 12/21/2016 1:49:00 PM

Braves Return Home for Non-Conference Finale vs. Rust College

Alcorn Game Notes | Live Radio | Live Stats

LORMAN, Miss. – After completing a six-game road stretch, the Alcorn State University men's basketball program will return to the Davey L. Whitney Complex to face Rust College at 2 p.m. Thursday.
 
Senior Marquis Vance will be honored before the game as Alcorn's (2-8) newest member of the 1,000-point club. He surpassed the 1,000 mark in Alcorn's last home game against Blue Mountain on Nov. 22.
 
The game can be heard via radio on 91.7 WPRL FM with Charles Edmond as the voice of the Braves.
 
The Braves went 30 days between home games. They are 2-0 at home this season with a combined score of 176-105. They defeated Selma 93-48 and Blue Mountain 83-57 and never trailed in either game.
 
Junior Reginal Johnson averages 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest. He's scored in double-figures in nine consecutive games. Johnson is coming off a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday at Grand Canyon.
 
Vance puts in 11.7 points per outing and is the team's leading rebounder with 7.3 per game. He's coming off a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds at Grand Canyon. The 14 boards matched his career-high. It was his eighth career double-double and second this season after he had 12 points and 11 rebounds at Loyola-Chicago. 
 
Rust (1-11) is looking to shake-off a buzzer-beating defeat to Centenary in its last outing, 67-66 on Monday. The Bearcats lone win this year came on Nov. 25 when they defeated McMurry 87-83.
 
Alcorn will open conference play on Monday, Jan. 2 when it hosts preseason favorite Texas Southern at 7 p.m. inside the Davey L. Whitney Complex. The Braves will stay at home two days later when they take on Prairie View A&M at 7 p.m.
 
NOTES
- On the season, Johnson ranks third in the SWAC in both field goal percentage (.529) and offensive rebounds (2.7 orpg), and is top-five in scoring. He posted a career-high 25 points at California this year.
 
- Vance leads the SWAC in defensive rebounds (5.5 drpg) and is second in blocks (1.2 bpg), fourth in three-point percentage (.429) and fifth in rebounding (7.3 rpg). He has scored in double-figures in 8 out of 10 games this year including a season-high 23 vs. BMC.
 
- Averaging just under double-figures for the Braves, senior Denzel Dulin nets 9.5 points per contest. He ranks top-10 in the league in free throw percentage with a .757 mark. Dulin made 13 against Colorado State; it's the most by any student-athlete in a single-game this year in the SWAC. He scored a career-high 20 points in the game which upped his previous best of 16 set in the game before against Blue Mountain.
 
- Alcorn leads the SWAC in blocks (4.0 bpg), assists (12.5 apg), assist:turnover ratio (0.9) and defensive rebounding percentage (.733). The Braves are second in the league in scoring defense (73.2 ppg) and rebounding offense (36.8).
 
- Freshman Yalen Reed has started six contests and is 9-for-13 (.692) from the field over the last five games and 16-for-26 (.625) on the year. He ranks sixth in the SWAC in blocks with 0.8 per outing.
 
- The Braves have been playing without starting center senior DeAndre Davis due to a hand injury. Davis finished third in the SWAC in both field goal percentage (.584) and offensive rebounding (2.5 orpg) last season. He's missed eight consecutive games.
 
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