LORMAN, Miss. – Junior
Dante Sterling poured in a career-high 29 points as the Alcorn State University men's basketball program fought off a feisty Mississippi Valley State squad 94-90 in overtime Saturday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.
In a game that featured 21 lead changes, it was tied 85-85 when Sterling threw down a go-ahead dunk for Alcorn (8-17, 4-8 SWAC) which erupted the crowd with 57 seconds left in overtime. After a stop defensively, senior
A.J. Mosby drained a pair of free throws to give the Braves an 89-85 advantage with 21 seconds remaining.
Despite a pair of baskets from MVSU (2-23, 2-10 SWAC), the Braves made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. The Braves were 29-of-34 (.853) from the charity stripe as a team.
Sterling drained four three-pointers and was 11-of-12 from the free throw line. The 11 made free throws which tied for 10th most in school history in a single-game.
Mosby also had a big night with 22 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. He was 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Also in double-figures, sophomore
Maurice Howard registered 13 points and sophomore
Yalen Reed ended with 10 points and eight rebounds. Howard made four three-pointers in the contest.
As a team, Alcorn shot .542 (13-24) from three-point range and .448 (26-58) from the field. The 13 made threes matched a season-high.
MVSU was paced by Jordan Evans who scored 25 points. Dante Scott tallied 21 points and eight rebounds, and Kylan Phillips finished with 14 points.
MVSU led 6-0 early after a pair of three-pointers by Scott. Alcorn quickly responded with a 7-0 run which included a pair of layups by Reed and a three-pointer by Howard to go up 7-6 at the 16:10 mark. The Devils answered with a bucket and another three-pointer by Scott to go back up 13-7 with 12:20 left.
The Braves again punched back with a big 11-0 spurt which included an old-fashion three-point play by Reed and a layup by Sterling to go up 18-13 with 9:15 to go. A three-pointer by Mosby in the corner extended the advantage to 26-17 with 7:19 remaining.
Near the end of the half, MVSU stormed back with a 13-2 run to retake a 30-28 edge. Scott and Mosby exchanged three-pointers in the final minute, and the teams went into the intermission tied 37-37.
The Devils pounded it inside early in the second half and built a 50-43 lead with 16:46 left.
Alcorn fired back with a 7-0 run, capped by a three by Howard to tie it 50-50 at the 15:18 mark. Another long-range shot by Howard put the Braves on top 58-56 with 13:06 remaining.
MVSU scored the next five points on a three-pointer and layup by Evans to leap back in front 61-58 with 12:17 to go. After another bucket by Evans, the Devils led 65-60 with 9:44 left.
Alcorn trailed 67-63 when senior
Avery Patterson found Sterling open for a three-pointer, and Sterling scored on the fast-break after a block by Reed to go back up 68-67 at the 7:29 mark.
The seesaw battle continued as MVSU drew fouls and scored four straight at the free throw line to lead 71-68 with 6:28 to go.
Both teams were in the bonus and on the other end, both Sterling and Mosby knocked down a pair of free throws which gave Alcorn a 72-71 edge at the 5:35 mark. Patterson followed it up with a three-pointer from the top of the key which made it 75-71 Alcorn with 5:02 remaining.
After the Delta Devils called timeout, they made a pair of free throws and a tip-in to again even it 75-75 with 3:58 left. MVSU then got a stop defensively, drew a foul on a loose ball and drained a pair of free throws to lead 77-75 at the 3:28 mark. On the very next possession, Howard netted an open three-pointer to put Alcorn up 78-77 at the three-minute mark.
The game was tied 80-80 with a minute left when Evans turned the corner and drove right for a layup to put MVSU up two. On the other end, Mosby converted a floater on an out-of-bounds play to even it 82-82 with 39 seconds left.
The Braves got a stop defensively and had a chance at the end of regulation but their three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
Alcorn got on the board first in overtime after a free throw by Sterling at the 3:11 mark. MVSU answered with a layup and free throw to lead 85-83 with 1:49 left. Sterling got fouled on the other end and made a pair of free throws to tie it 85-85 with 1:28 to go.
After a stop defensively, Sterling drove to the bucket and threw down a big dunk to put Alcorn on top 87-85 with 57.9 seconds remaining.
The Braves got the ball back with 30.0 seconds left after sophomore
Devon Brewer gave up his body for a charging call. Mosby was then fouled and made a pair of free throws to make it an 89-85 game with 26.5 seconds.
A quick bucket by MVSU was followed by a foul, and Howard made one of two free throws to keep Alcorn up 90-87 with 19 seconds left. A missed shot by the Devils resulted in a jump-ball after a tie-up on the rebound, and the Braves had the arrow. Sterling made two free throws to push the lead up to 92-87 with 10 seconds remaining.
MVSU made a three-pointer and called timeout trailed 92-90 with 4.0 seconds left. Mosby was fouled and made two free throws with 3.0 seconds left to seal the win.
Alcorn will look to knock off the first-place team in the SWAC standings Monday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Braves have won four of the last five against the Golden Lions.
NOTES
- The Braves won their third straight home game. They are now 7-3 at the Davey L. Whitney Complex this year and 18-5 over the last two seasons.
- Alcorn swept the season series over MVSU after winning the first-game 77-63 on the road on Jan. 13. It was also the team's fourth straight win over the Devils dating back to last season. The Braves knocked MVSU out of the SWAC Championships last season 63-60 in the quarterfinals.
- In his third season, head coach
Montez Robinson hoists a 30-18 SWAC record. He's the reigning SWAC Coach of the Year winner.
- Sterling's 29 points were the most by a Brave in a single-game this season. It topped his previous career-high of 20 points set against Alabama A&M on Jan. 20. Sterling notched his 14th double-figure scoring game and second in a row.
- Mosby surpassed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in his career and third time this season. It was his 36th career double-digit scoring game, 20th this year and seventh in the last eight games. His nine made free throws marked a career-high. Mosby dished out seven assists with just one turnover, and he entered the game leading the SWAC in assist:turnover ratio with a 2.2 mark.
- Howard made at least four three-pointers for the fifth time this year. He submitted his 18th career double-figure scoring game and 10th this season.
- Reed swatted three blocks for the second time in the last three game. He turned in his sixth career double-figure scoring game and fourth this year.
- Alcorn entered the game leading the conference in both assists (12.3 apg) and three-pointers made per game (7.8). The Braves distributed 20 assists and made 13 threes in the match.
- The Braves continued to play without SWAC Preseason Player of the Year
Reginal Johnson. He broke his leg at Tulane on Nov. 29 and has not played since.
Quoting Alcorn head coach Montez Robinson
Opening Statement
"We stayed aggressive the whole game tonight. It paid off as we put up 34 free throw attempts and made 29 of them. We shoot well from the free throw line as a team and we have to do that more often. We got two guys going tonight in Dante and A.J. and they were feeding off each other and making plays. Still, I didn't think we guarded the way we're capable of and we didn't show it on the defensive end. We have to guard better and be more consistent on that end of the court."
On the end of regulation
"Well, we didn't play well down the stretch again. It's mind-boggling to me how we can just throw the ball away like that at the end of games. We haven't been able to close out games, but I am grateful and blessed that we found a way to get it done in overtime. We still have too many turnovers in crucial situations, and that needs to be cleaned up."
On Sterling
"Tonight was the
Dante Sterling that all of us had been waiting to see. He played with confidence and only had one turnover. He didn't get outside of himself, and the guys did a great job of finding him. He took his threes in rhythm and within the offense. He also did a great job of putting his head down, getting to the line and making his free throws. I'm proud of him and we know he's capable of scoring 20 a night. Tonight was his best night in an Alcorn uniform so far."
On pulling it out in overtime
"Overall, I'm really proud of the guys and how they fought. They didn't sink in the quicksand and were able to pull each other out of it. We settled down in overtime and got our focus back."
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