Braves Tame Bulldogs 81-70 for Third Straight Victory

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. –  The Alcorn State University men's basketball program broke away from Alabama A&M early in the second half to win its third consecutive game 81-70 Monday at T.M. Elmore Gym.
 
Alcorn (8-11, 5-3 SWAC) led by six at the intermission when it used an 8-0 run to begin the second half. AAMU (1-17, 1-6 SWAC) could not get the deficit down into single-digits after that.
 
The Braves used a balanced attack with five student-athletes reaching double-figures in scoring. Senior Denzel Dulin led the way with 17 points.
 
Senior Marquis Vance registered 16 points and six rebounds. He drained four-of-five shots from beyond-the-arc. Junior Reginal Johnson tallied 13 points and six rebounds, senior DeAndre Davis recorded 11 points and junior A.J. Mosby finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Maurice Howard helped out with eight points and five rebounds.
 
AAMU was guided by De'Ederick Petty who scored a game-high 23 points. Marcus Merriweather ended with 16, while Quinterian McConico had 13.
 
The Bulldogs scored the first three points of the game, but that was their only lead of the match as the Braves netted the next seven which included an and-one by Mosby to take an early 7-3 lead. AAMU called a timeout down 13-6 after a fast-break lay-up by Mosby at the 12:04 mark. A jumper by Dulin from the right wing extended the edge to 18-10 with 10:04 remaining.
 
Alcorn led 25-19 when the Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 run to even it at 25 with 6:20 to go. The Braves answered with five points from Johnson including an old-fashion three-point play to go up 30-25 with 4:53 left. Johnson scored Alcorn's final bucket of the half on a put-back as the Braves went into the intermission ahead 37-31.
 
The Braves scored the first eight points of the second half which upped the advantage to 45-31 with 17:40 remaining after a pair of free throws by Davis. Two more free throws by Davis kept Alcorn ahead 57-45 with just under 12 minutes left.
 
An and-one by Dulin, followed by a three-pointer by Vance and a jumper by Howard capped a 10-0 run to extend the edge to 67-47 at the nine-minute mark. The Braves took their biggest lead of the game 74-52 after a big dunk by Vance with 6:48 remaining.
 
The Bulldogs scored the last nine points of the game in the final 2:15 when the contest was already out of reach.
 
The Braves will return home Saturday when they host Southern at 5:30 p.m. at the Davey L. Whitney Complex. The last time they played, Alcorn came out on top 70-56 on Feb. 27, 2016 at home.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn notched its third consecutive victory over AAMU after sweeping the season series last year 63-58 at home and 62-58 on the road.
 
- Not only did the Braves win their third straight game, but it was also their third consecutive road victory.
 
- Alcorn improved to 8-1 this season when leading at half and 5-0 when scoring at least 80 points
 
- The Braves outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-25.
 
- For the second straight game, Alcorn committed just eight turnovers which matched a season-low in conference. It outscored AAMU 20-11 in points off turnovers.
 
- Johnson has scored at least 12 points in 17 of the last 18 games, and has pulled down at least five rebounds in 18 of the last 19 contests. Johnson etched his 36th career double-figure scoring game.
 
- Vance totaled his 64th career double-figure scoring game, 14th this season and fifth in his last six outings. His four three-pointers matched a career-best set last season against Grambling State at home.
 
- Dulin garnered his eighth double-digit scoring game. He's scored at least eight points in eight of nine conference games this year.
 
- Mosby now scored in double-figures in five of the last six games. He's the only Brave to start in every contest this year. Mosby entered the game ranked sixth in the SWAC in assists with 3.0 per league game and was right on par with three.
 
- Davis tallied his third consecutive double-digit scoring game and 14th of his career. He was a perfect five-for-five from the free throw line
 
- As a team, Alcorn shot a season-best .833 (15-18) from the free throw line.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"It's been exciting these last few days. It's always great to go on the road and get a sweep. We played some good basketball at times tonight. We made a lot of subs and we rely on them to come in and sustain what we're doing on both offense and defense. I'm very pleased with the effort and energy that everyone gave. Tonight was a team effort."
 
On Marquis Vance
"It was really good to see him shoot the ball the way he did tonight. The ball felt like leather to him, and he was just letting it go with no hesitation. He did what Maurice Howard did a couple days ago. We don't want to shoot a lot of threes, but we still need to make six or seven each game. The seniors especially did a great job tonight – Vance, Davis and Dulin. They really played aggressively and took control of the paint. They also made free throws which is something we talk a lot about."
 
On the second half
"We just wanted to take good shots. The goal was to execute and we did that for the most part. We took the air out of the ball a little bit near the end and we made some subs when we were up by 20. They obviously made a run at the end and that's something we'll take a look at."
 
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