Alabama A&M men’s basketball team and Alabama State’s women’s basketball team each fell a game short of playing in the SWAC Tournament championship game at Bartow Arena. Both lost in the tournament semifinals on Friday.
Texas Southern men 74, Alabama A&M 61: PJ Henry and Davon Barnes combined for 46 points to lead Texas Southern (13-20) to the win over the Bulldogs (15-18 overall). The teams were tied at halftime but the Tigers controlled the second half.
Alabama A&M turned the ball over 18 times and Texas Southern turned those turnovers into 24 points. The Bulldogs forced 13 turnovers but turned those into just 11 points. That was a big part of the game.
The Bulldogs also shot just 26 percent in the second half. Messiah Thompson, who had 27 points in a quarterfinal win on Thursday, had just nine points on Friday. He was 3 of 9 from the field and committed three turnovers. Lorenzo Downey was the lone Bulldog in double figures with 15 points, including three 3-pointers.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff women 71, Alabama State 66: The Hornets (16-15 overall) took a seven-point lead into the final quarter but couldn’t hold on down the stretch. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-16 overall) outscored Alabama State, 22-10, in the fourth quarter to advance to the SWAC championship game.
UAPB took the lead for good with 3:07 left in the game. Alabama State pulled to within three points at one point but couldn’t get closer.
Alabama State senior Ayana Emmanuel had 27 points, five assists and four steals. She was 7 of 15 from the field, 2 of 5 on 3-pointers and 11 of 11 from the free throw line.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
