Contributed
(March 11, 2010)

BOSSIER CITY, La. – The No.3-seed Alabama State men’s basketball team got a double-double from Tramayne Moorer and overcame 28 turnovers in advancing past No.6-seed Alabama A&M, winning 56-45 Thursday afternoon in quarterfinal action of the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament at the CenturyTel Center.

ASU, who improves to 16-14 on the year, picked up its third consecutive victory in the opening round of the SWAC tournament with a solid defensive performance against in-state rival Alabama A&M, who finish the season at 11-16. The win also marked the eighth straight for the Hornets over the Bulldogs and second year in a row that ASU has eliminated A&M in the tournament.

“At this time of year the most important thing is to get the win,” said ASU head coach Lewis Jackson, who improves to 5-3 all-time in the SWAC Tournament. “We didn’t play our best game today and I don’t believe we can continue to win with so many turnovers. I thought the guys battled and did play well on the defensive end. Now we have to get some rest and get ready to play another tough game on Friday.”

Moorer, a senior, finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hornets. Sekani Milligen matched a career best with 11 points including a pair of key three-pointers. Menji Mundadi, ASU’s leading scorer and one of the nation’s top three-point shooters, struggled scoring just four points and missing all three of his trey attempts.

Cornelius Hester scored 13 points to pace the Bulldogs while Bo Amusa chipped in 11 points and eight boards. AAMU shot just 26 percent from the floor for the game (14-of-53) and was 0-for-12 from the three-point arc. The Bulldogs collected 15 steals but also turned it over 18 times in the contest.

Defense was the story of the first half as both teams struggled to get on track offensively. Alabama State held the Bulldogs to just 22 percent (7-for-31) shooting including an 0-7 performance from beyond the three-point line.

The Hornets were slightly better at 38 percent (10-of-26), but missed several shots from close range and were only 4-for-9 from the free throw line. The two teams combined for 19 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play with ASU committing 11 first half miscues.

Moorer scored six of the Hornets first eight points as ASU built an 8-2 lead with 12:35 left in the period. Bama State maintained a advantage throughout the half leading by as many as 11 late in the period. The Hornets carried a 27-18 lead into the intermission.

The Bulldogs raced out of the break scoring the first seven points to pull within two, 27-25, just over two minutes into the half. After weathering the early A&M surge, the Hornets slowly began to regain their lead getting three consecutive baskets for a 37-28 lead with 14:35 remaining.

ASU continued to control the tempo using an 11-5 run over the next eight minutes to open up its largest advantage, 51-36, at the 6:17 mark. Milligen scored the final five points of the surge including a three-pointer that capped the run. The Hornet defense took over from there holding AAMU to just one field goal and some free throws over the final six minutes of play.

With the win, the Hornets advance to a semifinal meeting with No.2-seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday at 2:30 p.m.