Alcorn Clinches Top-Four Seed with 10th Straight Victory, 74-59 over AAMU

LORMAN, Miss. – Junior Reginal Johnson posted 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Alcorn State University men's basketball program to its 10th consecutive win, 74-59 over Alabama A&M at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
 
With the victory, Alcorn (15-11, 12-3 SWAC) clinched a top-four seed and will host a first round game in the SWAC Championships on Tuesday, March 7. The start time is still pending on whether the Alcorn women also host a game.
 
Johnson went 11-for-17 from the field. Six of his 11 rebounds were offensive. He was joined by senior Marquis Vance in double-figures registered 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Freshman Maurice Howard recorded nine points and a career-high four steals.
 
The Braves dominated the glass 44-26 and secured 22 offensive rebounds. Alcorn outscored AAMU (1-24, 1-13 SWAC) by a whopping 41-2 mark in points off the bench.
 
The Bulldogs were guided by De'Ederick Petty's 23 points. Adrian Edwards ended with 12 points and Quinterian McConico 10.
 
AAMU got off to a hot start in the game and was shooting over 71 percent though the first seven minutes, yet the Braves were able to keep the score even 15-15 at the 12:47 mark. A three-pointer by Vance put the Braves ahead 24-21 with 8:27 left.
 
Alcorn was still up 31-29 when junior A.J. Mosby drilled a three-pointer, and Vance and Howard each made a free throw to increase the edge to 36-29 with 3:43 remaining. The Braves ended the half strong and used layups by freshman Yalen Reed, senior DeAndre Davis and junior Avery Patterson to go up 43-33 at the half.
 
Alcorn used a 6-0 spurt early in the second half, capped by a layup by Patterson, to extend the lead to 47-33 at the 18:08 mark. A pair of free throws by senior Denzel Dulin pushed the advantage up to 53-35 with 12:56 left. A jumper by Patterson changed the score to 57-37 with 10:30 to go.
 
The Bulldogs tried to crawl back into it and cut the deficit to 63-50 with 6:08 remaining. Though, the Braves responded with a 7-0 run which included a fast-break lay-up and free throw by junior Juwan Henderson to go back up 70-50 and put the game away with 4:49 remaining.
 
Up next, the Braves will go on the road to take on Southern at 4 p.m. Saturday. Alcorn is going for the season-sweep after winning 74-64 at home on Jan. 28.
 
NOTES
- Alcorn has won 10 straight games for the first time since 1998-99 when it won 12 in a row.
 
- The 10-game winning-streak is the sixth-longest active streak in the country.
 
- The Braves swept the season-series over Alabama A&M for the second year in a row. They won 81-70 in the first meeting this year, 63-58 at home last year and 62-58 on the road.
 
- Head coach Montez Robinson improved his SWAC record to 25-8 in two seasons.
 
- Alcorn entered the game leading the league in field goal percentage defense (.271) and held the Bulldogs to a .250 (3-12) mark. The Braves were also first in assists (13.9 apg) and dished out 19 in the match.
 
- The Braves improved to 10-2 at home this season where they've outscored the opposition 916-747.
 
- Alcorn is now 13-1 this year when leading at half and 7-0 when holding the opposition to under 60 points.
 
- Johnson notched his seventh career double-double and fifth this year. He's scored at least 12 points in 24 of the last 25 games and 43 times in his career. It was the fifth time this season that he's scored at least 20 points.
 
- Vance tallied his 68th career double-figure scoring game and 18th this season. He's up to (1,246) career points. Vance capped off a big weekend after posting a season-high 27 points Saturday against Alabama State.
 
- Mosby went two-for-four from long-range. He's now 15-for-26 (.577) from beyond-the-arc over the last five matches.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"I'm really pleased with the effort that the guys gave. The seniors really gave it their all in their last regular season home game. I have to acknowledge the fans who have come out and supported us, not just tonight, but the entire season. Hopefully we will have a strong turnout at Southern next weekend and also for our first round SWAC Tournament game that will be here."
 
On Reginal Johnson's double-double
"He came out a little bit slow in the first half, but he figured out how they were playing him and made the adjustments. He looked like himself in the second half, getting inside, grabbing rebounds and staying aggressive."
 
On the team's 19 assists
"The guys were really looking for the extra pass and to have 19 assists is outstanding. We also had 12 steals and were aggressive on the defensive end. We got into the passing lanes and created as much chaos as we could."
 
Closing Statement
"I'm just really happy with how we've been playing as of late, but we just need to stay consistent. We need to stay focused at the task at hand, but tonight was another good win for us."
 
Longest Active Winning-Streaks in the Nation
1. Gonzaga, 28
2. Vermont, 16
3. Monmouth, 13
3. Princeton, 13
5. North Carolina Central, 12
6. Alcorn, 10
6. SMU, 10
6. Wichita State, 10
9. UNC Asheville, 9
10. Three tied with 8
 
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