Mosby, Davis Guide Alcorn to Eighth Win in a Row

PINE BLUFF, Ark. – A career-high 22 points from junior A.J. Mosby and a season-high 20 points by senior DeAndre Davis helped the Alcorn State University men's basketball program break a deadlocked game at half for a 70-58 final over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday evening at H.O. Clemmons Arena.
 
It marked Alcorn's (13-11, 10-3) eighth consecutive win. The Braves parlayed it with a 71-62 victory for Jackson State over Texas Southern to move them to just 0.5 games out of first-place.
 
The game was tied 39-39 at the intermission when the Braves shot 56.3 percent from the field in the second half and held the Golden Lions (7-20, 6-7 SWAC) to a 32.0 percent mark. For the game, Alcorn shot .500 (22-44), while UAPB was .421 (24-57).
 
The Braves were also clutch from the free throw line all game as they went 19-for-20 for a season-best .950 mark. UAPB was just three-of-seven from the charity stripe.
 
Mosby went seven-for-nine from the field and four-for-six from long-range. Davis was five-for-eight shooting and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Both Mosby and Davis grabbed a team-high five rebounds apiece.
 
Junior Reginal Johnson also finished in double-figures with 12 points on four-of-five shooting.
 
The Golden Lions were paced by Jaquan Lynch's 20 points. Trent Steen ended with 12.
 
Lynch was on fire for UAPB early as he made his first four three-pointers in the initial 5:08 to get the Golden Lions out to a 16-6 lead. Mosby scored seven straight points for the Braves with a three-pointer and a couple of mid-range shots to cut the deficit to 16-13 with 11:34 left.
 
Alcorn trailed just 21-20 at the 8:40 mark after Johnson swished a three-pointer from the left wing. A jumper from the right elbow by Johnson tied it 26-26 with 5:57 remaining. The Braves took their first lead of the game, 29-28, after a three-pointer by senior Marquis Vance with 4:54 to go.
 
Another three by Vance made it 34-32 Alcorn, but UAPB answered with a 7-0 run to regain a 39-34 edge with 1:13 left. The Braves scored the final five points of the half on an old-fashion three-point play by Davis and a pair of free throws by freshman Maurice Howard with 1.9 seconds left to even it 39-39.
 
Alcorn opened the second half with a three-pointer by Mosby to lead 42-39. A bucket inside by junior Avery Patterson increased the advantage to 46-41 at the 16:43 mark.
 
UAPB responded with a quick 6-0 spurt to go back in front 47-46 with 15:08 remaining.
 
Alcorn re-took a 55-49 edge after an 8-0 run which included an and-one by Davis, a three-pointer from the right corner by Mosby and a pair of free throws by Johnson with 10:00 left. The Golden Lions came back to make it a 57-56 game, but Davis converted a bucket inside and two free throws to keep Alcorn up five with 5:19 to go.
 
A big three-pointer by Mosby increased the lead to 64-57 with 3:21 left. Davis followed it up with a pair of free throws after an offensive rebound to go up by nine with 2:28 remaining.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn's eight straight wins are its most since 2001-02 when the team won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The program has not won nine in a row since 1998-99 when it won 12 consecutive contests.
 
- The eight-game streak is the seventh-longest active streak in the country. The Braves also posted their fifth straight road victory which is also top-10 in the nation.
 
- Alcorn swept UAPB for the second year in a row. The Braves won 82-64 in the first meeting this year. Last season, Alcorn came out on top 79-60 at home and 73-65 on the road.
 
- Head coach Montez Robinson improved his SWAC record to 23-8 in two seasons.
 
- The Braves are now 6-0 this year when holding the opposition to under 60 points.
 
- Alcorn's 10-point deficit in the first half was the largest it has overcome in a win this season.
 
- Mosby surpassed his previous career-high of 19 points against Rust College on Dec. 22, 2016. He's scored in double-figures in 10 of the last 11 games and six in a row. He remained the only Brave to start every game this year. Mosby was also a perfect four-for-four from the free throw line.
 
- Davis upped his season-high from 15 points against UAPB in the first meeting this year on Jan. 16. His career-high stands at 26 points set last year at Alabama State. Davis has tallied double-figures in seven of the last eight matches. It was his 18th career double-digit scoring outing.
 
- Johnson has scored at least 12 points in 22 of the last 23 games. It marked his 41st career double-figure scoring game.
 
- The game featured five ties and nine lead changes.
 
- Alcorn's previous best in free throw percentage in a game was .833 (15-18) at Alabama A&M on Jan. 23.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"I'm pleased with our overall effort. We stayed strong after Pine Bluff jumped out to an early lead. Pine Bluff was making shots but we had to just try and continue to contest all of them. We weathered the storm and managed to tie it up at half. I just told the guys at half that we have to sustain our defense and do what we have been doing. We knew that we had to win this game on defense. We only allowed 20 points in the second half and I can't be more pleased with the effort."
 
On limiting UAPB to just outside shots and not giving up anything inside
"DeAndre Davis played out of his mind inside. He did a lot of things that didn't show up on the stat sheet. He was everywhere defensively, getting deflections and was diving all over the floor. He was also 10-for-10 from the free throw line. He carried us. It's especially impressive to shoot at the line like that on the road."
 
On A.J. Mosby
"He was unbelievable. He took what the defense gave him. His teammates where telling him to just shoot if he's open and he did. He got the ball inside at the right times and he shot at the right times. He played an unbelievable game."
 
Closing Statement
"We played unselfish basketball tonight. I told the guys after the game that it's amazing what can happen when we pass the ball around and nobody is concerned about who gets the credit. That's the type of ball team we are right now. We don't care who has the hot hand or who is scoring. When we're sharing the ball, playing good defense and rebounding we are a very good team."
 
Longest Active Winning-Streaks in the Country
1. Gonzaga, 26
2. Vermont, 15
3. Monmouth, 12
4. Princeton, 11
5. North Carolina Central, 10
6. Furman, 9
t7. Alcorn, 8
t7. Norfolk State, 8
t7. SMU, 8
t7. Wichita State, 8

#FearTheBrave