The three-game losing streak for the Alabama State University Hornets ended with a 61-46 victory over the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils in SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) competition on Feb. 19 in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Guard T.J. Madlock Jr. led the Hornets, filling up the stat sheet with 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while guard Amarr Knox added 15 points and a career-high six steals off the bench.
Guard Rayquan Brown put up 16 points and seven rebounds for the Delta Devils.
After shooting 50% from the field and forcing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the half, the Hornets surged out to a 14-3 lead.
With three minutes remaining until halftime, the Delta Devils were able to cut the deficit to single digits with a layup from Brown.
Delta Devil forward Arecko Gipson would steal the ball and pass it to a wide-open Reginald Reynolds.
The Hornets would respond with a 2-point jumper from Madlock, and they would go into halftime up 30-26.
The Delta Devil offense got rolling in the second half. A 5-2 run cut the Hornets’ lead to 33-31 with 11:53 remaining.
Delta Devil forward Walter Hamilton nailed a 3-pointer. Knox’s 2-pointer would get blocked by Hamilton.
The Hornets would keep possession as Madlock grabbed the rebound, passing it back to Knox, who would hit a 3-pointer.
The Hornets used an 8-0 run to widen the lead to 49-37 with 9:54 remaining.
Delta Devil guard Donovan Sanders missed a 3-pointer, and Hornet guard Isaiah Range grabbed the rebound and attempted a 3-pointer of his own, but it was no good.
Luckily, Hornet forward Jasteven Walker grabbed the miss in the paint and jumped up to put the ball in the basket.
The Hornets would dominate the last few minutes of the game, making it difficult for the Delta Devils to get anything going.
Reynolds’ layup would be blocked by Walker as the Hornets were up double digits (51-41). A steal by Hornet center Ubong Okon led to a 2-pointer from Madlock.
The Hornets would comfortably cruise their way to a victory in an impressive all around game.
The Hornets head coach Tony Madlock Sr. spoke on the importance of the victory and snapping the losing streak.
“Great win,” he said. “You hate to say must-win in February, but it was a must-win game after we didn’t play well on Saturday. To come back against Mississippi Valley who hasn’t won a game all year, but they have been playing everyone tight. Those games scare you death especially after we have lost three games in a row, I was really happy and proud of my team. We fought, and we had a good start which was important. We were able to control the game.”