LORMAN, Miss. – Alcorn State University men's basketball put together a spirited second-half effort but was unable to overcome an early deficit, falling to visiting Howard University, 94-83, Thursday evening at the Davey L. Whitney Health and Physical Education Complex. The Braves (0-2) outscored the Bison 51-47 in the second half and trimmed a 15-point halftime deficit to five in the closing minutes, but Howard (1-1) held off the late surge to secure the non-conference victory.

Trey Thomas led Alcorn State with a game-high tying 27 points, connecting on four three-pointers while adding two steals and a blocked shot. Saxby Sunderland provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 13 points, five assists and two steals, while Jahseem Felton contributed 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Christian Richardson added nine points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting performance, while Calvin Sirmans directed the Braves' offense with a game-high nine assists. Alcorn shot 46.2 percent from the field and connected on nine three-pointers, including seven in the second half.

Howard was led by Cedric Taylor III, who matched Thomas with 27 points while collecting eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots. Cam Gillus added 17 points, while James Brown and Gasper Kocevar contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. The Bison shot an efficient 57.1 percent from the field and held a 34-26 advantage on the glass, using their inside presence to score 44 points in the paint.

The contest featured four ties and three lead changes, with Alcorn establishing an early five-point advantage before Howard took control midway through the opening half. The Bison carried a 47-32 lead into intermission and extended their advantage to 18 early in the second half. Despite trailing by double digits for much of the final period, the Braves continued to battle, using timely perimeter shooting and defensive pressure to pull within five points on multiple occasions in the closing minutes. Howard, however, answered with key baskets and free throws to preserve the victory.

GAME RECAP

First Half – Howard 47, Alcorn State 32

• Alcorn State opened the contest with a strong offensive start as Ma'Kye Taylor connected on a three-pointer on the Braves' opening possession. Trey Thomas followed with a jumper before Christian Richardson added a basket to give Alcorn an early 7-3 advantage.

• The Braves extended their lead to 7-2 following Richardson's layup with 16:44 remaining, but Howard responded with a 7-0 run to even the contest at 7-7.

• Alcorn regained a 13-12 advantage on an Ethan Griffin layup with 12:26 remaining before the Bison answered with consecutive baskets to move ahead 16-13.

• Howard gradually established control behind its inside scoring, building a 28-19 advantage with 5:36 remaining in the half. The Bison continued to capitalize on second-chance opportunities and efficient shooting to maintain their momentum.

• Thomas connected on a three-pointer with 2:56 remaining to trim the deficit to 35-29, but Howard closed the half with a 12-3 scoring advantage, capped by a Cam Gillus three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining.

• The Bison entered halftime leading 47-32 after shooting 60.7 percent from the field, while Alcorn connected on 40 percent of its first-half attempts.

Second Half – Howard 94, Alcorn State 83

• Howard opened the second half with a three-pointer from Alex Cotton to extend its advantage to 50-32, but Alcorn responded with consecutive baskets from Richardson to begin cutting into the deficit.

• Thomas helped ignite the Braves' offensive attack, connecting on a three-pointer with 17:14 remaining and later adding another from beyond the arc to bring Alcorn within 61-46 with just over 12 minutes to play.

• Felton provided a much-needed offensive spark midway through the half, knocking down consecutive three-pointers to trim Howard's lead to 67-56 with 8:23 remaining.

• The Braves continued to chip away at the deficit as Sunderland scored on consecutive possessions, while Thomas converted a three-point play to bring Alcorn within 76-66 with 4:27 remaining.

• Sunderland followed with a three-pointer at the 4:05 mark to pull the Braves within seven at 76-69, forcing Howard to respond down the stretch.

• Alcorn continued its comeback attempt as Thomas connected on another three-pointer with 2:47 remaining to cut the deficit to 82-77. After Howard answered, Sirmans drained a three-pointer with 1:54 remaining to bring the Braves within five again at 85-80.

• Thomas added a jumper with 50 seconds remaining to make it an 87-82 contest, but Howard answered with a second-chance basket and converted five free throws in the closing moments to secure the 94-83 victory.

• Despite the loss, Alcorn produced a strong second-half offensive performance, shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three-point range while outscoring Howard 51-47 over the final 20 minutes.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 27 – Trey Thomas led Alcorn State with 27 points, connecting on 10 field goals and four three-pointers.

• 13 – Saxby Sunderland contributed 13 points off the bench while adding five assists and two steals.

• 12 – Jahseem Felton finished with 12 points, including two three-pointers.

• 9 – Calvin Sirmans dished out a game-high nine assists to lead the Braves' offensive distribution.

• 51 – Alcorn State scored 51 second-half points, shooting 51.4 percent from the field.

• 25 – The Braves generated 25 second-chance points, compared to 18 for Howard.

• 26 – Alcorn's bench contributed 26 points, providing an offensive lift throughout the contest.

• 19 – The Braves recorded 19 assists on 30 made field goals.

• 9 – Alcorn connected on nine three-pointers, including seven during its second-half comeback attempt.

UP NEXT

Alcorn State (0-2) will return to the road on Tuesday, November 10, when the Braves travel to Murray, Kentucky, to face Murray State University in another non-conference match-up. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. as the Braves look to secure their first victory of the 2026-27 season.