Braves Pull Away from PVAMU in Second Half for 66-55 Victory

LORMAN, Miss. – A one-point halftime lead turned into a double-digit, 66-55 victory for the Alcorn State University men's basketball program in a well-played defensive game over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
The Braves (4-9, 1-1 SWAC) led 42-39 with 8:24 in the second half when they used a decisive 9-0 run to pull away from the Panthers (3-13, 0-2 SWAC).
 
Alcorn garnered big contributions from the bench as junior Reginal Johnson tallied a game-high 18 points and freshman Maurice Howard ended with 11. Senior Denzel Dulin also finished in double-figures with 10 points to lead the starters.
 
Senior Marquis Vance was one point away from a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds. Senior DeAndre Davis and Johnson were also key on the glass with seven and six rebounds, respectively.
 
PVAMU was paced by Tevin Bellinger's 14 points. Troy Thompson scored nine, and Avery Lomax and Daquan Cook posted eight points each.
 
For the game, Alcorn limited the Panthers to just 16-for-49 (.327) shooting and 3-of-15 (.200) from beyond-the-arc.
 
A low scoring first half started with PVAMU on top 7-6. The Braves answered with a 7-0 spurt to go up 13-7, capped by a free throw from junior Juwan Henderson halfway through the period. PVAMU got the deficit down to 16-15, but a jumper by Johnson and a three-pointer by junior A.J. Mosby pushed the edge back up to 21-15 at the 2:55 mark.
 
The Panthers ended the half on a 7-2 run, but Alcorn carried a 23-22 lead at the break. The Braves held PVAMU to a 7-for-23 (.304) shooting mark in the first half.
 
The Panthers scored the first four points of the second half to lead 26-23. Alcorn responded with a three-pointer by Mosby near the end of the shot clock and a jumper by Dulin in the corner to even it, 30-30 with 15:34 remaining. A tip-in by Vance put the Braves back ahead 32-30.
 
Alcorn led 34-33 when Johnson converted on back-to-back put-backs, followed by free throws by Dulin and Henderson to extend the edge to 41-33 with 10:11 to go. The Panthers used the free throw line to get back in the game and make it a 42-39 score with 8:24 remaining.
 
The Braves quickly answered with a lay-up by Dulin, a three-pointer by Johnson and a fast-break bucket by junior Avery Patterson take a 49-39 advantage at the 6:14 mark. A pair of free throws by Johnson completed the decisive 9-0 run and upped the score to 51-39 with 5:31 to go.
 
The Panthers fouled until the end but could not get closer than seven points in the final three and a half minutes.
 
The Braves will play their first conference road game Saturday at 5:30 p.m. when they make a short trip north to Jackson State. Alcorn won at JSU last year 72-64 on Feb. 6, 2016.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn improved to 4-1 home this season where it has outscored the opposition 390-293. The Braves previously posted wins over Selma 93-48, Blue Mountain 83-57 and Rust 83-68.
 
- The Braves notched their third consecutive victory over PVAMU after sweeping the season series last year 81-64 at home and 73-70 on the road.

- Alcorn is now 3-0 this year when it holds the opposition to under 60 points.
 
- The 22 points allowed by Alcorn in the first half tied for a season-best as it also held Selma to the same mark in the first half on Nov. 18.
 
- Alcorn made 19 free throws in the contest, the most in a single game this year.
 
- The Braves outscored the Panthers 28-20 in the paint and 31-25 off the bench. Alcorn outrebounded PVAMU 44-33.
 
- Alcorn entered the game leading the SWAC in blocks (4.3 bpg) and defensive rebounds (26.8 drpg). The Braves rejected four shots with Vance getting a pair, and grabbed 30 defensive rebounds as a team.
 
- Johnson etched his 12th consecutive double-figure scoring game and the 31st of his career. He kept his streak going of grabbing at least five rebounds in every game this year.
 
- Howard registered his fourth double-digit scoring affair and second in a row after scoring 10 against Texas Southern on Monday. Howard drained a career-high six free throws.
 
- Dulin poured in his fifth double-figure scoring game of the year. He also chipped in with a pair of steals and assists in the contest.
 
- Vance reached double-figures in rebounding for the 14th time in his career and fourth time this season.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"The guys came out and really played with a lot of energy today. Though it took a little while for us to get going and I really have to give credit to Prairie View and its coaching staff because they had us out of sorts in the first half. They were mixing up their defenses and we have to do a better job of recognizing what they're in and keeping our composure. The second half we came out and played loose and freely. We made some adjustments and we wanted to push the ball in transition."
 
On playing well defensively
"The guys really stuck to the game plan, so it's a testament to them. Coach Thompson did a great job with the scouting report and we did a great job of switching. Anytime you can hold a team to 32 percent from the field and 20 percent from the three-point line it's a remarkable night. We also won the rebounding war and the guys played active and aggressive in the second half. We played that organized chaos game that we like to play."
 
On improving from game-to-game
"We just want to get better each game. We have a lot of young guys, and we're still trying to get DeAndre Davis back into the flow of things after his injury. He's only about 80 percent right now but he's coming along. Overall though our guys did a great job and we'll watch the film tomorrow. The focus is now on Jackson State and we'll prepare our guys with a scouting report. We have to be ready to play on Saturday."
 
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