A sluggish second half costs the Alabama State University Hornets a 79-68 loss to the Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action.
After outscoring them in the second half. The Wildcats improved to 10-11 and 5-3 in the SWAC, while the Hornets have an overall record of 10-11 and 5-3 in the SWAC.
With the Hornets shooting just 21.2% (7-of-33) from the floor and hitting just one of 16 three-pointers in the second half, the Wildcats overcame a seven-point halftime deficit by shooting 46.2% (12-of-26) from the floor and 45.5% (5-of-11) from beyond the arc.
Five Hornets scored in double digits against the Wildcats. Guard T.J. Madlock led the Hornets with 17 points and four steals, while guard C.J. Hines came in second with 12 points and three assists. Amarr Knox added 11 off the bench. Kendal Parker added 10 points and Micah Octave 10 in the loss.
The Wildcats’ guard Dhashon Dyson scored 19 points in the game and guard Zion Harmon added on 16 points. Hines’ 3-pointer was followed up by Madlock’s layup, putting the Hornets up 8-2 early in the first half.
The Wildcats gained the lead 17-6 after two 3-pointers from Dyson and one from guard Jakobi Heady.
The Hornets finished the first half on a 12-5 run, with seven of the team’s 12 points coming from guard Micah Octave. The score at halftime was 38-31, with the Hornets holding the lead.
The Hornets shooting percentage fell off in the second half, as they only made one of their 16 attempts at 3-pointers and only shot a 21% field goal percentage.
The Wildcats’ 12-6 rally, sparked by a layup by forward Reggie Ward Jr., trimmed the Hornets’ lead to 44-40. The Hornets missed their next three shots after going into a shooting slump. Another 3-pointer was made by Dyson, and Harmon with the assist on the play.
The Wildcats never looked back after regaining the lead 48–46. The Hornets attempted to excavate themselves. Madlock made a layup in the paint and then made both of his free throws, but with two minutes left in the game, they were still behind 74-61.
Wildcats’ guard Damani Mcentire made a free throw to secure the game, and the team started to celebrate their road triumph.
Head coach Tony Madlock expressed his sentiments about the contest.
“It’s a tough loss playing at home. We are searching and trying to figure out how we can get this team to play at home. It just seems like we are more comfortable on the road than we are at home. That’s been the story since the USC game, the Jackson State game, the Alcorn State game in the first half. We just have not been able to put two halves together …You’re not going to win the game shooting like we did in the second half. When you don’t make shots, your energy drops …”