Clutch Second Half Plays Propel Alcorn over JSU 63-50

JACKSON, Miss. – The Alcorn State University men's basketball program halted a fierce second half comeback attempt to defeat Jackson State 63-50 on Wednesday at Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center
 
Alcorn (5-10, 2-2 SWAC) led 50-34 when JSU (7-10, 3-1 SWAC) came storming back with a huge 15-1 run to make it a 51-49 game with 5:31 left. Senior Marquis Vance hit the shot of the game with a three-pointer to quiet a screaming JSU crowd, and followed it up with an assist to senior Reginal Johnson to put the game away.
 
Vance finished with a team-high 16 points to go along with his four rebounds and four assists. Senior Denzel Dulin went six-of-nine from the field to score 14 points. Junior A.J. Mosby also ended in double-figures with 11 points.
 
The Tigers were guided by Maurice Rivers' 16 points. Edric Denis aided the attack with 12 points. Janarius Middleton was big on the glass with 12 rebounds off the bench in addition to his six points.
 
The Braves scored the first five points of the game after jumper by Dulin from the wing and a three-pointer by Mosby. Still up 8-3, the Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the match 9-8 at the 14:32 mark.
 
The Braves trailed 16-12 when a runner by Dulin sparked a big 12-1 run to put them ahead 24-17 with 4:00 to go. The streak included five points from Vance after strong drives to the basket. An and-one by Vance and a lay-up by senior DeAndre Davis extended the advantage to 32-21 with 1:11 remaining. Alcorn carried a 32-22 lead into the break.
 
JSU opened the second half on a 5-1 run, but a three-pointer by Dulin and a fast-break lay-up by junior Avery Patterson pushed the lead back up to 38-27 at the 16:37 mark. The Tigers called timeout down 41-29 with 15:11 left after a three-pointer by Johnson from the top of the key. The Braves kept taking it hard to the hoop and went up 50-34 with 11:42 to go after baskets by Patterson and Dulin.
 
The Tigers got back in the game with an 11-0 spurt to cut the deficit to 50-45 with 7:16 remaining. After a free throw by Vance, JSU had its crowd on its feet after it made it a 51-49 game at the 5:31 mark. The Tigers had a chance to take the lead, but an open three-pointer from the right wing was off the mark.
 
A clutch three-pointer by Vance silenced the crowd and gave Alcorn slight separation at 54-49. After a stop defensively, Vance found Johnson underneath to increase the advantage to 56-49 with 4:12 to go.
 
With two minutes left, Mosby buried a three-pointer at the very end of the shot clock to push the lead up to 59-50. Alcorn closed it out strong with free throws by Vance and freshman Maurice Howard.
 
The Braves will return home Saturday at 5:30 p.m. to face Mississippi Valley State (1-15, 1-2 SWAC). Alcorn is 4-1 at home this season where it has outscored the opposition 390-293. The Braves swept the season series over MVSU last year and have won four straight against the Delta Devils at home.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn defeated Jackson State for the second year in a row after finishing on top 72-64 on Feb. 6, 2016.
 
- The Braves ended JSU's four-game winning-streak.
 
- Alcorn allowed just 50 points, the fewest amount in a conference game since Jan. 20, 2014 when it beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 71-45. It marked the second time this season that the Braves held an opponent to 50 points or less as they previously limited Selma to 48 points on Nov. 18, 2016.
 
- The Braves improved to 5-0 (2-0 SWAC) when leading at the half. Alcorn was up 32-22 at the break.
 
- Vance registered his 61st career double-figure scoring game, 11th this year and third in the last four outings.
 
- Dulin netted his sixth double-figure scoring game of the season and second in the last three games. He's scored at least nine points in every conference game.
 
- Mosby tallied his fifth double-digit scoring affair of the year and second in a row after he poured in 16 points at Grambling State on Monday. He continued his streak of starting every game this year.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"This was a great road win. We were disappointed with our loss Monday and we really challenged our guys yesterday. Three words that we emphasized were discipline, focus and concentration. I thought we were disciplined, focused and kept concentration all throughout practice yesterday, shoot around today and during the game."
 
On Marquis Vance's big three-pointer
"He definitely played with a lot of confidence today. Though it was really about the whole team. JSU was not going to let Reginal Johnson beat them and he got double-teamed every time he touched the ball. He did a great job of not trying to force anything and he used his teammates. Marquis hit a huge shot in the clutch. Another big shot was the three-pointer by Mosby near the end of the shot clock in the second half."
 
On Denzel Dulin
"He was really attacking the basket tonight. Not only was he attacking, but he was looking to score and not just looking for a foul."
 
On JSU's big run
"We got stagnant. We didn't attack like we were before and we stopped guarding. We have to learn to not take our foot off the pedal. We stopped for about a four-minute stretch when they made their run but we didn't let it avalanche on top of us. I'm pleased at the way we were able to play it out."
 
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