MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Following a surge by Alabama State in the second half, Myson Lowe was able to deliver with a clutch three-pointer in the corner off a great pass from Kurk Lee to help the Alcorn State University men's basketball team hold off the Hornets, 57-52, in Southwestern Athletic Conference action Saturday inside Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
"This was a tough road win, but a big one for this team with it being our first victory on the road. I'm excited overall about the victory. We went up 20 points in the second half and we started to take our foot off the gas and get relaxed. Alabama State is a tough, physical team that will fight to the final horn. They applied a lot of pressure and we didn't respond well. But we were able to make some big plays late when it counted," head coach Landon Bussie said. "Myson hits a big three-pointer and Kurk with some big-time free throws. We also had a big stop on the defensive end on the last possession. Happy we came out on top."
The win is the third straight for Alcorn (3-6, 3-1 SWAC) as Troymain Crosby again led the way with a game-high 19 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and tallied a pair of steals. Lee tallied 14 points and had a game-high six assists, with none bigger than what turned out to be the winning assist on Lowe's three-pointer. Tyree Corbett had a game-high 11 rebounds and also added six points. For Lowe, it was his only shot of the game and did he ever make it count.
"You just have to stay ready when your number is called. I'm never scared to take the big shot," Lowe said. "It was big for sure. I'm just blessed that my teammates have the confidence in me to give me the ball in a late game situation like that."
The Braves got out to the start they were looking for breaking open a 4-4 game with six straight points. Anthony Fairley started the run with an offensive rebound and put back, then after Corbett added a layup, Fairley closed the run with a layup for the 10-4 lead.
Ahead 13-6, Alcorn slowly started to expand the lead as the defense kept Alabama State (1-5, 1-5 SWAC) without a point for nearly six minutes and in turn stretched the lead to 21-6. Crosby accounted for four points, while Lee and Kobe Wilson added baskets.
David Pierce III then got loose for a pair of three-pointers that had the lead out to 20 at 29-9. The Hornets trimmed four points off the lead, but the Braves held a solid 33-17 lead at halftime.
Crosby opened the scoring in the second half with a jumper and then Lee hit a three-pointer a minute in to push the lead out to 21 at 38-17.
Still ahead by 14 on a jumper by Crosby near the midway point of the half, Alabama State began to chip away. A 7-0 run over the next few minutes had the lead down to seven. With just under a minute to play, the Hornets had come back to take their first lead of the game at 51-50.
Alcorn then went for the lead on the next trip down the floor, but a missed shot was rebounded by Alabama State and the Braves were forced to foul. Brandon Battle would split the free throws leaving the lead at 52-50 for the Hornets with 38 seconds to play.
That's when the Braves turned to Lowe. As Lee was driving, he drew a pair of defenders and kicked to an open Lowe in the corner. He calmly caught the pass and stepped in rhythm for a clutch three-pointer that left Alcorn with a 53-52 lead and just 23 seconds to play.
"That last play, I drove to the basket and saw that it wasn't there and so I started to look around to create a play for someone else. I was able to find Myson as I drew a couple defenders and made the pass to him and he knocked down the big shot!" Lee said.
While the shot put the Braves in front, they still had a defensive stand ahead of them and they were able to force DJ Heath on the baseline and caused a turnover. Lee then stepped up and sunk two from the line to push the lead to three. With still some time, Alabama State pushed the ball up court and Heath tried a contested three from the wing that went wide. Crosby secured the rebound and then added two more from the line to seal the victory.
"We have to be able to build off the good of this team when we get in these tough battles," Crosby said. "As a unit, we have to learn how to not let up and put teams away. A three-game winning streak is something we shouldn't have to dwell on, the most important thing is to focus on one game at a time."
It's been a season of reaching 1,000 career points. Following Crosby hitting the 1,000-point club, Lee joined him last game.
"I'm grateful to be able to reach 1,000 points and I won't take that moment for granted," Lee said.
Alabama State ended up holding the edge in points off turnovers (23-16), second chance points (13-7) and bench points (20-13), while the teams tied on points in the paint (22-22).
Alcorn offset those numbers by making five more field goals and a pair of three-pointers going 21-58 (36.2) from the field, 5-18 (27.8) from three and 10-12 (83.3) from the foul line. Alabama State went 16-52 (30.8) from the field, 3-21 (14.3) from three and 17-27 (63) from the foul line. Battle led the Hornets with 17 points and added a double-double with 10 rebounds. LaTrell Tate scored 12 points and Jordan O'Neal also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Braves will carry the momentum from this win and take their three-game winning streak into a matchup with Alabama A&M this Monday night at 6 p.m.
