Alcorn Welcomes Jackson State for SWAC Opener

LORMAN, Miss. – Having not played in what will be 13 days at tip-off, Alcorn Men's Basketball returns to action to begin the 2023 calendar year Monday, Jan. 2, when the Braves welcome in-state foe Jackson State to the Davey L. Whitney Complex at 4 p.m. The game is also the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener for the Purple and Gold.
 
THE GAME: Jackson State at Alcorn
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 2, at 4 p.m. CT
WHERE: Davey L. Whitney Complex (Lorman, Miss.)
LISTEN: WPRL 91.7 FM
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Alcorn Men's Basketball this year by following the Braves social media platforms. You can follow @Alcorn_St_MBB on Instagram and @BravesSports on Twitter.

SERIES VS. JACKSON STATE
In the all-time series against Jackson State that dates back to 1968-69, it is visiting Jackson State that leads the series by a count of 62-60. Last season, Alcorn Head Coach Landon Bussie closed the gap against the in-state opponent with a series sweep against the Tigers.
 
LAST TIME OUT BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES
Darrious Agnew hit back-to-back free throws with three seconds left in regulation to lift Alcorn State to a 61-60 win over Jackson State. The Davey L. Whitney Complex victory was the second against the Tigers to complete the season sweep against the league foe.
 
Keondre Montgomery led the Braves with 15 points, while junior Dominic Brewton (14 points) and freshman Byron Joshua (11) were the other Alcorn State players reaching double figures in the contest. Montgomery, a freshman guard, went four of nine from the field, including one of five in three-point range. He also added six of six at the line for his 13th double-digit game of the season.
 
Alcorn State hit 22 of its 55 (40.0 percent) of its attempts from the floor, with four of 17 (23.5 percent) from beyond the arc. The Braves missed two of their 15 shots at the line to make 86.7 percent of their free throws. Jackson State made 24 of its 50 (48.0 percent) shots from the floor, including six of 13 (46.2 percent) from behind the arc. The Tigers also saw six of 13 at the line. Scoring a game-high 26 points, Ken Evans, Jr. led JSU's offense. Terrene Lewis had 10 to round out the Tigers' double-digit scorers.
 
It was just over two and a half minutes before the first points were scored in the competition. Getting the action going, Dontrell McQuarter split free throws at the line and added a jumper in the paint seconds later to give ASU a 3-0 advantage. Over a minute passed before Jayveous McKinnis would score Jackson State's first points on a layup, cutting the Braves lead to 3-2 with 15:42 remaining before the break.
 
After a brief back-and-forth, JSU went on a run that saw the Tigers outscoring the Braves, 3-1, to lead 24-12 with just over five minutes left in the half. A well-timed three-pointer from Dekedran Thorn and jumpers from Montgomery and Ladarius Marshall would get ASU within one of Jackson State's lead with ten seconds left. As the time ran down, Evans hit a buzzer-beating jumper from beyond the arc to give the Tigers a 34-30 advantage entering the break.
 
After halftime, Lewis hit the period's first shot to start a brief 6-2 run for Jackson State. The Tigers did not stay on top long as Brewton scored eight consecutive points for the Braves to get within two of JSU, 42-40. A shot-for-shot battle began that saw ASU trailing Jackson State 60-59 with just 33 seconds left to play. After a foul, Agnew went to the line and made both free throws for the 61-60 win.
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR ALCORN
Five Dayton players amassed double-digit scoring, as the host Flyers defeated visiting Alcorn by a score of 88-46 in men's basketball action inside the University of Dayton Arena. DaRon Holmes II led all players on the night with a game-high 23 points in helping Dayton to the win.
 
Dayton held a 17-10 lead at the midway point of the opening half, until Alcorn used a free throw from Ladarius Marshall off the bench to end what was an 8-3 Flyers run. The Braves then got a layup in the paint from Marshall to close the gap even closer, while Keondre Montgomery's bucket in the lane pulled Alcorn to within 19-15 in a span of two minutes. However, a huge 22-9 Flyers run sparked primarily by free throws from Mustapha Amzil – as he connected on 7-of-10 from the foul line in the game, as well as points on the inside from Holmes, allowed Dayton to carry a 44-24 lead into the locker room at the half.
 
The Flyers' hot shooting would continue in the second half, with the hosts turning in a 51.6 percent touch from the field across the final 20 minutes of play – in addition to shooting 51.7 percent from the floor for the game. Of Dayton's 88 points scored on the night, the Flyers would outscore the Purple and Gold, 52-16 in the post. Zimi Nwokeji would lead the Flyers in scoring in the second half with nine, while Dontrell McQuarter scored five for the Braves. Dominic Brewton chipped in with five off the bench in the final period for Alcorn as well.
 
The Braves were forced into shooting just 27.9 percent from the floor in the game, while going on to register just a 2-for-15 effort from beyond the arc for a 13.3 percent performance from three-point range altogether. Trevin Wade and Brewton connected on both three-pointers made for the Purple and Gold. While Holmes' 23-point night led the scoring for Dayton, it was the double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) by Toumani Camara that stole the headlines. Amzil finished with 15 points of his own, followed by teammates R.J. Blakney and Nwokeji with 11 points apiece. Amzil also added eight assists.

For Alcorn, Marshall registered seven points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots on the night. Montgomery led the scoring with 11 points, also contributing two blocks and four rebounds for the Braves. Brewton would finish with eight points, five rebounds and two assists of his own.
 
CATCH THE BRAVES LIVE AT THE WHITNEY IN 2023
Season Tickets for 2022-23 Alcorn Men's Basketball at the Davey L. Whitney Health and Physical Education Complex are now available for purchase at Alcornsports.MyImpactTickets.com/basketball. Season tickets for the home SWAC competitions are $76.25, while single-game admission is $12.65 in advance.

UP NEXT
Alcorn will play the second of its current three-game swing at home in the friendly confines of the Davey L. Whitney Complex as the Braves welcome SWAC member Alabama A&M to Lorman on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m.

Follow Alcorn State Men's Basketball on Twitter (@Alcorn_St_MBB) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Alcorn State Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BravesSports), Instagram (@AlcornSports) and YouTube (Alcorn State Sports).