Leg Injury to Johnson Overshadows 81-65 Loss at Tulane

NEW ORLEANS – Senior Reginal Johnson left Devlin Fieldhouse on a stretcher after breaking his leg Wednesday as the Alcorn State University men's basketball program fell to Tulane 81-65.
 
Johnson is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
 
The Braves trailed 12-10 with 13:33 in the first half when Johnson landed awkwardly on the base line after pulling down an offensive rebound. Johnson stayed down for over 15 minutes as an air cast was placed on his right leg. With his family, coaches and teammates standing by, Johnson was taken off on the stretcher and transported to a nearby medical facility.
 
Johnson was Alcorn's leader in both scoring (13.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg) this season. He was named the 2017-18 SWAC Preseason Player of the Year after being selected to the HBCU All-America Second-Team last year.
 
With the air taken out of the building after the stoppage, the Green Wave used a 27-1 run to leap ahead 31-11 with 5:51 left in the half.
 
The Braves played the final five minutes strong, and a tip-in by junior TyQuaylon Smith in the closing seconds cut the deficit to 42-29 heading into the break.
 
Tulane came out hot early in the second half and extended its advantage to 59-36 at the 15:12 mark. Alcorn fought the whole way and used a 9-2 spurt late to trail 75-62 with 4:13 to go after a lay-up by sophomore Devon Brewer.
 
Mosby tallied team-bests of 19 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Maurice Howard netted a season-high 12 points after drilling four three-pointers, and Brewer notched a career-high 10 points.
 
The Green Wave were guided by Cameron Reynolds who scored 28 points.
 
Alcorn led Tulane in all of the specialty stats including edges of 26-20 in points in the paint, 10-7 in second chance points, 14-8 in fast break points and 29-23 in bench points. The rebounding margin was tied 35-35.
 
The Braves will return home Friday at 7 p.m. when they host Rust College. Alcorn is 12-3 at the Davey L. Whitney Complex over the last two seasons.
 
NOTES
- Mosby's 19 points marked a season-high. His career-high is 22 set at Arkansas-Pine Bluff last season. Mosby recorded his 23rd career double-figure scoring game and sixth this season. He entered the game leading the SWAC in field goal percentage (.525) and went 7-13 (.538) in the contest.
 
- Mosby matched his career-high with five three-pointers made. It was the third time in his career that he's accomplished that feat.
 
- Brewer's career-high was his second in a row after scoring nine points against Concordia on Saturday.
 
- Howard topped his previous season-best of nine points against Concordia. His career-high is 18 points at Alabama State last season.
 
- Alcorn entered the game ranked first in the conference in assists with 13.3 per game and were above its average with 15. Mosby led the way with four assists while senior Avery Patterson dished out three.
 
- With a block in the contest, sophomore Yalen Reed has now swatted away nine in eight games which is top-five in the SWAC. Reed was voted the SWAC Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
 
- Wednesday marked just the second-ever meeting between Alcorn and Tulane. The Green Wave took an 83-41 decision in 2011-12.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
On Reginal Johnson's injury
"It was as bad as it looked. It was a clean break. Hopefully we'll get him back next year, but he will certainly be missed this season. He's obviously our leader and best scorer especially in the post. Losing him means more than just what he provides on the court. He's our team captain and plays a big role day-to-day for us. He'll be really missed."
 
On how to replace Johnson's production this season
"Guys are going to have to step up and play on his behalf. We'll have to use a committee to match his production. We'll be leaning on Devon Brewer a lot more as well as Tyler Carter, Yalen Reed and Kobe Wilson. They're all going to have to step up. We're going to treat it as if Johnson is in foul trouble for an extended duration and has to sit down. It will be like that the rest of the year."
 
On what the game plan will be against Rust College on Friday
"We're going to stick to the same game plan. We're going to be looking to fill a void and a lot of guys will have opportunities to step in. We don't have to reinvent the wheel, but other guys are going to have to step up."
 
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