HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Alabama A&M women 50, Bethune-Cookman 48
In a crucial Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game, the Alabama A&M women's basketball team used a fourth quarter comeback to come away with a 50-48 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Saturday afternoon inside the Event Center.
Trailing 34-31 after three, the Bulldogs outscored their opponent 19-14 in the final period for the win after a massive run from the Wildcats in the third quarter.
Toni Grace (Fishers, Ind.) led the charge on the day with 17 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes of play, followed by Amani Free (Clay, N.Y.) who finished with 15 points and seven boards.
A&M stormed out to a lead in the opening quarter, leading 6-3 at the first media break and controlling the momentum to gain a double-digit advantage at 18-7 heading into the second. They maintained their edge to start the second, leading 22-14 at the timeout with 4:52 remaining in the half and later staving off a run from Bethune-Cookman, holding a 25-19 lead heading into the locker rooms.
The Wildcats responded with a dominant third quarter, holding the Bulldogs to just six points in the period on 2-for-13 shooting. Bethune-Cookman reduced the deficit to a single score game on three separate occasions yet took their first lead of the game after a three-pointer at the 1:52 mark, before heading into the fourth up 34-31.
The Bulldogs found themselves down eight, 43-35, with just over five minutes to play, before a pair of free throws from Grace sparked a comeback run. Amiah Simmons (Osawatomie, Kan.) scored inside to get within four, followed by three free throws from Jayla Cody (Valdosta, Ga.) to reduce the lead to a point at 43-42 with 2:54 to play.
After a score from the Wildcats, Free and Grace hit back-to-back threes for the final lead change, to go up 48-45, before A&M secured the win at the free throw line for the 50-48 final.
Alabama A&M men 90, Bethune Cookman 56
The Alabama A&M men's basketball program dominated from the opening tip on its way to a 90-56 victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent Bethune-Cookman Saturday evening inside the Event Center.
The point total marked the third-highest point total of the season, while the 34-point margin of victory was the largest of the season.
The Bulldogs (12-15, 8-6 SWAC) jumped out to an early lead and never let up, taking their first lead at 6-4 at the first media break and maintained the advantage for the remainder of the contest. A&M gained their first double-digit edge at 20-10 with 8:03 left in the half, before they finished the period outscoring the Wildcats 22-12 to take a 42-22 lead into the locker rooms.
The offensive onslaught continued during the second 20 minutes of play, as the Bulldogs went up by as much as 35 points in the half before winning their eighth conference win on the season.
A&M shot 58.2 (32-for-55) percent from the field, 50 (6-for-12) percent from long range, and 83.3 (20-for-24) percent from the free throw line on the day, while holding the Wildcats to just 29.3 (17-for-58) percent from the floor and 31.3 (5-for-16) percent from deep. They also outscored their opponent in bench points (38-15), fast break points (16-10), points in the paint (44-22), and second chance points (10-7).
Cameron Tucker (Birmingham, Ala.) led a trio of Bulldog scorers in double figures with 14 points and four assists, followed by Dailin Smith (Colorado Spring, Co.) and Messiah Thompson (Atlanta, Ga.) with 11 and 10 points respectively. Garrett Hicks (Madison, Ala.) and EJ Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio) also finished near the mark, with Hicks adding eight points and five rebounds, while Williams recorded nine points and seven boards in the win.
Joe French led Bethune-Cookman with 16 points, followed by Kevin Davis with 15 points on the day.