MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Just when the fans thought the game was going into overtime, the ball went in for Kenny Strawbridge.

The redshirt sophomore hit a reverse layup as time expired to lift the Hornets over the Southern University Jaguars 66-64, snapping a two-game losing streak and giving Alabama State its first home win this season.

Strawbridge had a huge double-double, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs. LaTrell Tate finished with 14 points, while Kevion Stewart and Jordan O’Neal rounded out the double figure scorers with 12 and 10, respectively. 

ASU did a great job against one of the best offenses in the SWAC, holding the Jaguars to 45% shooting from the floor and 25% on 3-pointers, well below the season average of 33% from deep. When asked about the defensive effort, coach Mo Williams says it’s been a point of emphasis for his team.

“You can’t play if you can’t guard,” coach Mo explained. “So everybody in the game, they know they gotta guard, they gotta play defense to be on the floor. You gotta be a good defensive team, we harp on that.”

The Hornets had a rough first half offensively, shooting only 18% from the floor and lacking any sort of rhythm. Were it not for the defense, the spread would’ve been much larger. However, they kept battling to stay in it until the offense came to life, and it was the intensity and focus that ultimately put ASU on the winning side. It was that same intensity that coach Mo believed was the key to victory.

“We had to match that intensity [of Southern’s], feed off our crowd and make some plays,” coach said, “and we did a really good job of that.” The intensity was definitely visible as the coach’s shirt was still damp after a hard fought win.

The Hornets look to take this momentum on the road as they head to Houston to play Texas Southern this Saturday, then to Prairie View A&M to take on the Panthers on Monday  before coming back to the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.