Finding ways to win

[randy]

Jan 5, 2001: Alabama St (9-4, 2-0) @ Northwestern St (9-4, 2-0)

Pregame Notes

• Northwestern St won each of their 1st 2 conference games by at least 20 pts

Tip off

We're shooting 1-8 FG. This could be a long day for us.
13:58, Down 3-6

Our FG shooting (31%) is not main main concern. We're giving up way too many easy pts on transition due to our 6 turn overs. We're going to call more plays on the inside.
7:12, Down 12-19

We're getting slightly more success driving to the basket, and getting active on the offensive boards. But we're still shooting a dismal 27% FG


Halftime, Down 22-27
Considering we're down only 5 despite SG Haven Wilkerson's 1-9 FG shooting, we're still very much in this game. We'll continue to take the ball inside, and being more aggressive on defense.


Start of 2nd half

C Reginald Davis (15 pts) continuous to power his way inside the paint, while SG Haven Wilkerson (already with 4 FGs in the 2nd half, after only making 1 in the 1st) is driving strong to the basket at almost every opportunity. We hope to wear down NWST's interior defense
12:15, Up 40-37

It's frustrating because our bench couldn't sustain our efforts, turning the ball over 4 times, which helped NWST come up with a 12-2 run.
7:53, Down 42-49

C Reginald Davis and PG Johnny Victor engineered a comeback to get us back in the lead.
3:51, Up 55-54

NWST scores on a jumper. SG Haven got fouled and knocks down both FTs (both teams in the penalty).
3:20, Up 57-56

NWST scores on a drive. C Reginald Davis answers with another inside basket; Davis has 21 pts
2:39, Up 59-58

We got called for a foul, but NWST missing both FTs. We get the rebound and call a timeout.

We turn the ball over. NWST on the attack. They shoot a 3. Miss, but they get the offensive rebound. They reset their play. They shoot a jumper. Foul called on us. They split their charities. I call another timeout.
1:21, Tied at 59

We designed a play for SG Haven Wilkerson. Wilkerson gets the ball on the right corner. His defender worries that Wilkerson might drive again. Wilkerson elected to shoot a jumper. It's good!
1:12, Up 61-59

NWST not calling a timeout. They turn it over! I call a timeout.
0:52, Up 61-59

We go to Wilkerson again. He shoots quickly ... a bit too quick on our shot clock. He misses this time. NWST secures the leather and they call a timeout.
0:44, Up 61-59

I put in a more defensive lineup. NWST can't get any room to get to the paint. They put up a contested jumper. Miss. We get the rebound and called my last timeout.
0:28, Up 61-59

As expected, NWST elects to foul quickly. PG Johnny Victor cans both FTs to give us a 2 possession lead. Timeout NWST
0:27, Up 63-59

NWST got 2 attempts from beyond the arc. Missed both. We finally get the rebound and run with the ball until the game clock expires. What a game!


Final Score: Alabama St - 63, Northwestern St - 59
We had to grind out this one to escape with a win. It was just good pound-the-ball-inside, old style basketball. C Reginald Davis was a workhorse today, and SG Haven Wilkerson delivered when it mattered most. Our staring unit scored 55 of of our 63 pts


Box Scores
[INDENT]Davis 21, 9, 2 (*)
Wilkerson 16, 2, 4, 2 stls
Victor 9, 3, 4
DeLord 5, 5, 1, 3 tos
Andrews 4, 5, 1, 2 stls
Popp 2, 4, 0
Walls 2, 3, 1
Scott 2, 0, 0
Perkins 2, 0, 0
Everhart 0, 0, 1
Reuter 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 45-43%
REB: +1
TO: -1
Pts in paint: +14
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: Even
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Grambling, 3-0 (W3)
2. Alabama St, 3-0 (W3)
3. Northwestern St, 2-1 (L1)
4. Austin Peay, 2-1 (L1)
5. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1-2 (W1)
6. Jackson St, 1-2 (L2)
7. Alabama A&M, 1-2 (L1)
8. Mississippi Valley St, 1-2 (L1)
9. Alcorn St, 1-2 (W1)
10. Texas Southern, 1-2 (W1)
11. McNeese St, 1-2 (L2)
12. Prairie View, 1-2 (W1)

[randy]

Jan 9, 2001: Alabama St (10-4, 3-0) @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff (8-6, 1-2)

Pregame Notes

• ARPB forces 16.5 opposition turn overs, #1 in SWAC. They have a good scoring C Boyd Lewis.

Tip off

Only C Boyd Lewis doing the damage for ARPB, as their perimeter players are 0-7 FG.
13:52, Up 9-4

We have not taken advantage of ARPB's sub par offense, because of the turn overs we are committing on our end.
7:58, Up 27-18

SG Haven Wilkerson scored 13 of his 17 pts in the last 6 mins of the 1st half, but even that is not enough to give us a more a comfortable lead.


Halftime, Up 32-27
We're shooting 58% FG and out rebounding ARPB. But ARPB is getting more opportunities to score because of our 10 turn overs.


Start of 2nd half

Same story as the 1st half; we're not taking enough shots (13 turn overs) to take advantage of our 58% FG shooting.
12:46, Up 48-41

We have done a better job taking care of the ball the last few minutes, which resulted in a double-digit lead for us.
7:59, Up 57-41

ARPB continued to miss from the perimeter, and making turn overs themselves, not allowing them to stage any semblance of a comeback.


Final Score: Alabama St - 66, Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 51
It would be foolish to expect that we will shoot like this on every road game. We need to cut down on our turn overs.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 25, 3, 1, 2 stls, 4 tos (*)
Andrews 10, 5, 1
DeLord 7, 7, 1
Scott 6, 0, 1
Popp 5, 5, 0
Walls 4, 2, 1
Everhart 4, 0, 1
Victor 3, 3, 10, 2 stls
Davis 2, 7, 0, 3 tos
Perkins 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 54-36%
REB: +4
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +2
2nd chance: -7
Fast break: -4
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 4-0 (W4)
2. Austin Peay, 3-1 (W1)
3. Grambling, 3-1 (L1)
4. Jackson St, 2-2 (W1)
5. Alabama A&M, 2-2 (W1)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 2-2 (W1)
7. McNeese St, 2-2 (W1)
8. Northwestern St, 2-2 (L2)
9. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1-3 (L1)
10. Alcorn St, 1-3 (L1)
11. Texas Southern, 1-3 (L1)
12. Prairie View, 1-3 (L1)

[randy]

Jan 12, 2001: McNeese St (8-7, 2-2) @ Alabama St (11-4, 4-0)

Pregame Notes

• 6 MCNST players averaging at least 6 ppg, but none in double figures.
• SF Terrance Walls with a slight wrist injury (91%), but he's suited up today

Tip off

Not happy with the defense as our players slow in rotating. PG Johnny Victor already with 3 fouls.
13:46, Down 6-8

Our offense has been anemic at best earlier, but our bench provided some spark, in particular C Seneca Popp who has 13 pts (5-5 FG) already. 12 of 16 pts by MCNST came from the FT line.
7:21, Up 24-16

Both teams had a scoring spree for the remainder of the half, both from the field and from the line.


Halftime, Up 42-35
The 2 teams combined to shoot 35 FTAs in the 1st half. We could have this game wrapped up if we are just consistent with our defensive effort.


Start of 2nd half


We started the 2nd half on an 8-0 run. Since then we have smothered their ball handlers in defense, and contesting every shot.
11:59, Up 54-39

For more than 10 minutes, we limited MCNST to only 1 FGM. But they made their last 4 shots.
7:53, Up 59-49

MCNST able to stay close. Both teams in penalty.
3:27, Up 66-58

3 unproductive possessions by MCNST, which we converted into 6-0 run. We lead by 14 with less than 2 mins left. We can slow down the game.


Final Score: McNeese St - 61, Alabama St - 78
MCNST committed at least 4 turn overs in the last 2 mins.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Davis 18, 10, 2, 3 stls (*)
Wilkerson 16, 1, 2, 2 stls
Popp 15, 3, 3
DeLord 12, 7, 0
Everhart 5, 1, 2
Victor 4, 2, 2
Scott 4, 0, 6, fouled out
Walls 3, 0, 1
Reuter 1, 1, 1
Andrews 0, 2, 0
Perkins 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 50-42%
REB: +1
TO: -6
Pts in paint: +28 (we scored 42 inside pts)
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +6
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 5-0 (W5)
2. Grambling, 4-1 (W1)
3. Alabama A&M, 3-2 (W2)
4. Mississippi Valley St, 3-2 (W2)
5. Austin Peay, 3-2 (L1)
6. Jackson St, 2-3 (L1)
7. Alcorn St, 2-3 (W1)
8. Texas Southern, 2-3 (W1)
9. McNeese St, 2-3 (L1)
10. Northwestern St, 2-3 (L3)
11. Prairie View, 1-4 (L2)
12. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1-4 (L2)

[randy]

Jan 16, 2001: Alabama St (12-4, 5-0) @ Austin Peay (7-9, 3-2)

Pregame Notes

• PEAY likes to take more outside shots, which explains their 41% FG shooting

Tip off

We beginning to ramp up on fouls and turn overs, which is not a good sign
13:33, Down 7-8

Both teams playing good defense, not allowing good looks at the basket. Who ever can take care of the ball better, might be difference towards the end.
7:08, Up 12-10

A 10-2 run led by SG Haven Wilkerson gave a double-digit lead, but only for a moment. PEAY answered with a quick 9-0 salvo, as we kept on giving away our possessions.


Halftime, Up 24-21
We're a bit fortunate that PEAY only turned in 6 fast break pts out of the 10 turn overs we committed in the 1st half. We're playing good defense; just need to cut down on turn overs.


Start of 2nd half

PEAY came out firing at the start of the 2nd half (20 pts in less than 7 mins of play), now almost matching their output in the 1st half. I was visibly upset with my team during a timeout.
13:43, Down 31-41

Both teams scoring almost at will in the ensuing minutes. C Seneca Popp and SG Michael Everhart leading our 2nd unit to a comeback, but we're still not making enough stops.
7:17, Down 53-58

2 more turn overs on our part, and our deficit back to double digits again
5:17, Down 55-65

2 unanswered baskets by SG Haven Wilkerson cut our deficit to 6. But PEAY connected on another triple. Wilkerson scored once again. PEAY sank 2 FTs on their next play.
2:09, Down 61-70

We made a couple of 3-pt plays, but still couldn't make the needed stops at the end.


Final Score: Alabama St - 67, Austin Peay - 74
Our offense can come and go, but if our defense sleeps even for a just a while like what happened at the start of the 2nd half, the end result is usually not good. PEAY shot 9-16 3PT (56%)


Box Scores
[INDENT]Popp 13, 2, 3, 6-8 FG
Wilkerson 12, 2, 3, 2 stls
Andrews 11, 8, 0
Everhart 10, 3, 3
Victor 9, 2, 4
Scott 5, 0, 4, 4 tos
Walls 3, 1, 1
DeLord 2, 2, 2
Perkins 2, 1, 1
Davis 0, 3, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 52-48%
REB: -1
TO: +4 (we had 16)
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: +6
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 5-1 (L1)
2. Austin Peay, 4-2 (W1)
3. Alabama A&M, 4-2 (W3)
4. Grambling, 4-2 (L1)
5. Jackson St, 3-3 (W1)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 3-3 (L1)
7. Alcorn St, 3-3 (W2)
8. McNeese St, 3-3 (W1)
9. Northwestern St, 3-3 (W1)
10. Texas Southern, 2-4 (L1)
11. Prairie View, 1-5 (L3)
12. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1-5 (L3)

[randy]

Jan 19, 2001: Alabama St (12-5, 5-1) @ Texas Southern (6-11, 2-4)

Pregame Notes

• TXSO is 0-2 at home in conference play. 5'5 FR PG Luke Waterman averaging 15.3 ppg, 39% 3PT

Tip off

TXSO already with 5 turn overs (4 by PG Luke Waterman).
13:44, Up 14-10

Backup SG Michael Everhart with 6 pts off the bench. TXSO now with 8 turn overs.
7:56, Up 24-18

We've also committed costly turn overs allowing TXSO to take the lead. It has been a see-saw affair the rest of the half.


Halftime, Up 36-33
Despite TXSO having 6 more turn overs than us, fast break pts is even at 8 pts; we need to take advantage and score more on transition.


Start of 2nd half

Started out strong with a 10-2 run to take an 11-pt lead, but TXSO able to quickly get back. PG Johnny Victor already with 4 fouls, trying to guard very quick PG Luke Waterman (13 pts)
13:15, Up 50-43

TXSO stopping every small run that we get going. TXSO already with 18 turn overs, but game is still close. We are in the penalty.
7:22, Up 59-54

3 more turn overs by TXSO. We got ourselves a 9-2 run. PG Johnny Victor just committed his 5th foul, and PG Luke Waterman added 2 more FTs upping his total to 21 pts.
3:41, Up 68-58

We made 3 more baskets, which was enough to answer the FTs scored by TXSO at the end


Final Score: Alabama St - 74, Texas Southern - 67
This was an energy-sapping game for both teams. The frequent changing of possessions meant players getting more tired, and had to be substituted more often. In the end, our better bench scoring (29-10) was the difference.

SG Michael Everhart in double figures scoring for the 2nd straight game; he did a good job not only backing up SG Haven Wilkerson, but they played together well at times during the game.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 24, 0, 1 (*)
Everhart 12, 1, 4 2 stls
Popp 9, 8, 0
Scott 8, 2, 2
DeLord 6, 1, 1
Davis 5, 9, 1
Andrews 5, 2, 4, 3 stls
Victor 5, 0, 1, fouled out
Perkins 0, 1, 2, 2 stls
Walls 0, 1, 0
Reuter 0, 0, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 50-49%
REB: -3
TO: -11 (TXSO: 21)
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: -2
Fast break: +10
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 6-1 (W1)
2. Austin Peay, 5-2 (W2)
3. Alabama A&M, 5-2 (W4)
4. Grambling, 4-3 (L2)
5. Jackson St, 4-3 (W2)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 4-3 (W1)
7. Alcorn St, 3-4 (L1)
8. McNeese St, 3-4 (L1)
9. Northwestern St, 3-4 (L1)
10. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2-5 (W1)
11. Texas Southern, 2-5 (L2)
12. Prairie View, 1-6 (L4)

[randy]

Jan 23, 2001: Prairie View (5-13, 1-6) @ Alabama St (13-5, 6-1)

Pregame Notes

• PV gives up almost 75 ppg, last in SWAC

Tip off

We're having no trouble scoring against the defense of PV. We just need to watch out for our fouls (we have 6 team fouls already)
13:28, Up 12-6

We continue to shoot well at 58% FG. Most of the pts of PV are inside the paint, so we'll focus more on 2-3 zone
7:23, Up 25-15

PV hit a couple of outside shots towards the end of the half to trim their deficit to single digits


Halftime, Up 36-27
We'll try to stick with the zone unless PV shows consistency with their outside shots. We also had success in taking the ball in the paint, so we'll run more inside plays.


Start of 2nd half

Despite having zero offensive rebounds, PV has kept themselves dangerously close. We'll go back to m2m defense, and increase intensity
13:12, Up 44-34

Our defense forced some turn overs, but when PV is able to take a shot, they usually make it.
6:51, Up 55-45

Both teams committing plenty of turn overs. SG Haven Wilkerson has fouled out. This game is far from being settled.
3:37, Up 62-51

PV got to within 9, but we converted 2 unanswered FGs. The game just became an FT shooting contest in the end,


Final Score: Prairie View - 59, Alabama St - 76
We converted 24-30 FT, mostly in the 2nd half. PV has decent offense, but their defense and rebounding needs improvement.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 20, 3, 1, 2 stls, fouled out (*)
Andrews 12, 1, 1
Victor 8, 4, 7, fouled out
Walls 8, 2, 0
Davis 6, 5, 1
Everhart 6, 4, 0
Scott 6, 1, 1, 3 tos
Perkins 5, 1, 0
Popp 3, 2, 1
DeLord 2, 6, 2, 2 stls
Hawkins 0, 2, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-47%
REB: +8
TO: -6 (PV: 18)
Pts in paint: +6
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: +3
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 7-1 (W2)
2. Austin Peay, 6-2 (W3)
3. Alabama A&M, 6-2 (W5)
4. Jackson St, 5-3 (W3)
5. McNeese St, 4-4 (W1)
6. Grambling, 4-4 (L3)
7. Mississippi Valley St, 4-4 (L1)
8. Texas Southern, 3-5 (W1)
9. Northwestern St, 3-5 (L2)
10. Alcorn St, 3-5 (L2)
11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2-6 (L1)
12. Prairie View, 1-7 (L5)

[randy]

Jan 26, 2001: Mississippi Valley St (12-7, 4-4) @ Alabama St (14-5, 7-1)

Pregame Notes

• MVS was predicted to finish last in the conference, but they have performed consistently well. They lead the conference in ppg, and is in the top 10 in the nation in terms of pace.

Tip off

SG Haven Wilkerson with 12 pts already. Indeed, MVS shoots very quickly on their possession.
12:23, Up 17-14

We're patient on our offense, and not getting drawn out to playing fast tempo. Lots of fouls being called on both sides.
7:34, Up 28-23

Both teams can't seem to miss i the dying minutes of the 1st half


Halftime, Up 58-42
MVS shooting a very good 52% from the field, but ours is at a different level at 68% FG including 5-6 3PT. SG Haven Wilkerson felt like this was a shooting practice, going for 25 pts, 9-11 FG.


Start of 2nd half

A little bit too many turn overs at the start of the 2nd half. Also, the players seem to be over relying on SG Haven Wilkerson (33 pts), and we're not moving the ball. We've talked about this during the time out
13:15, Up 68-56

No lead is safe against a team like MVS who can score in bunches very quickly. They got to within 5 pts, but we strung up 4 straight pts before the media time out. We need to give more focus now on defense.
7:42, Up 78-69

We scored 6 more unanswered pts; MVS scoreless for more than 5 minutes as we turned up a notch on defense
3:39, Up 84-69

MVS finally able to put some pts, but we were trading baskets the rest of the game


Final Score: Mississippi Valley St - 77, Alabama St - 95
This was a good game to watch if you're fan of high scoring games. We played good defense at the right moment towards the end of the game. Outstanding scoring performance by SG Haven Wilkerson.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 37, 2, 2, 2 stls (*)
Davis 17, 5, 1
Andrews 13, 5, 1
Scott 8, 1, 3
DeLord 7, 3, 0
Reuter 5, 1, 2
Popp 4, 2, 0
Victor 2, 0, 7, 2 stls
Perkins 2, 1, 0
Everhart 0, 1, 3, 2 stls
Walls 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 58-55%
REB: -3
TO: -9 (MVS: 20)
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: -1
Fast break: +4
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 8-1 (W3)
2. Austin Peay, 7-2 (W4)
3. Alabama A&M, 7-2 (W6)
4. Grambling, 5-4 (W1)
5. Jackson St, 5-4 (L1)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 4-5 (L2)
7. Texas Southern, 4-5 (W2)
8. McNeese St, 4-5 (L1)
9. Northwestern St, 3-6 (L3)
10. Alcorn St, 3-6 (L3)
11. Prairie View, 2-7 (W1)
12. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 2-7 (L2)

[randy]

Jan 30, 2001: Alabama St (15-5, 8-1) @ Jackson St (8-12, 5-4)

Pregame Notes

• JKST shoots almost 29 attempts from the 3pt line (#2 national)

Tip off

We're doing a good job defending the perimeter; JKST just 1-8 FG, 0-4 3PT.
13:27, Up 10-4

Our defense more than making up for our 29% FG shooting. JKST has only made 2 FGs so far.
7:06, Up 17-10

Eventually, those long bombs by JKST would fall; they converted 5 of their last 9 attempts from beyond the arc


Halftime, Up 30-29
We somehow lost our focus defensively in the dying minutes of the 1st half; we need to do a better job contesting shots. We'll also go for more inside shots, as our FG shooting is only 32%.


Start of 2nd half

We're applying more pressure on defense, resulting in turn overs for JKST (17 so far). But we know JKST can quickly wipe out their deficit in an instant because of their 3pt shooting.
13:03, Up 43-38

We're slowly building our lead, anchored by our pressure defense and offensive rebounding. JKST is in the penalty.
7:41, Up 54-44

SG Haven Wilkerson, and the rest of the starters got plenty of rest in the 2nd half, which means we had more energy for the finishing kick. WIlkerson scored 7 pts in the last 4 mins to prevent any rally by JKST


Final Score: Alabama St - 69, Jackson St - 54
JKST ended shooting 10-26 3PT, but their 23 turn overs was the key difference in this game. We simple had more opportunities on the offensive end.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 22, 6, 0, 3 tos (*)
Davis 10, 10, 1
Victor 8, 4, 6, 2 stls
Scott 7, 2, 3, 2 stls
Andrews 7, 2, 1
Walls 4, 4, 1
Popp 4, 2, 1
Everhart 3, 1, 1, 3 stls
DeLord 2, 2, 2, 2 stls
Perkins 2, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 38-40%
REB: +4
TO: -10 (JKST: 23)
Pts in paint: +16
2nd chance: +3
Fast break: -5
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 9-1 (W4)
2. Austin Peay, 8-2 (W5)
3. Alabama A&M, 7-3 (L1)
4. Grambling, 6-4 (W2)
5. Jackson St, 5-5 (L2)
6. McNeese St, 5-5 (W1)
7. Alcorn St, 4-6 (W1)
8. Mississippi Valley St, 4-6 (L3)
9. Texas Southern, 4-6 (L1)
10. Northwestern St, 3-7 (L4)
11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 3-7 (W1)
12. Prairie View, 2-8 (L1)

[randy]

Feb 2, 2001: Grambling (9-12, 6-4) @ Alabama St (16-5, 9-1)

Pregame Notes

• GRAM likes to slow it down, get to the FT line, and very good in getting offensive rebounds

Tip off

GRAM not able to contain SG Haven Wilkerson's (8 pts) driving penetrations. As a team, we're shooting 70% FG.
13:46, Up 17-4

GRAM's offense in disarray today, 7 turn overs and zero offensive rebounds. On the other hand, we're into one of our best offensive starts.
7:53, Up 33-14

GRAM settling down on their offense, but we continue to also pile up the pts


Halftime, Up 51-30
Can't find a fault to the way we played offensive so far; 59% FG, 2-2 3PT, and 11-12 FT. I can give more time to the bench if we can sustain our momentum


Start of 2nd half

The lane continues to be wide open for our penetrations. I don't see how GRAM can come back from this. GRAM must be confused, despite shooting almost 50% FG, how they got in this big deficit.
13:39, Up 66-41

SG Haven Wilkerson already cooling his heels on the bench since the 11 min mark. Unless a miracle of gigantic proportions happen, no need for him to come back.
7:51, Up 76-52

Sustaining our 60% FG shooting the entire game, where the bench played majority of the minutes in the 2nd half, is simply fantastic


Final Score: Grambling - 59, Alabama St - 92
JKST ended shooting 10-26 3PT, but their 23 turn overs was the key difference in this game. We simple had more opportunities on the offensive end.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 18, 4, 1, 2 stls (*)
Andrews 18, 2, 1, 7-9 FG, 2-2 3PT
Davis 15, 10, 1
Scott 12, 2, 3
Victor 8, 1, 1, fouled out
Walls 6, 1, 3, 2 stls
DeLord 5, 2, 2
Popp 4, 2, 2
Reuter 2, 3, 1
Perkins 2, 1, 0
Hawkins 2, 1, 0
Everhart 0, 3, 1
Hillier 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 62-42%
REB: +7
TO: -11 (GRAM: 18)
Pts in paint: +36
2nd chance: +5
Fast break: +7
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 10-1 (W5)
2. Alabama A&M, 8-3 (W1)
3. Austin Peay, 8-3 (L1)
4. Grambling, 6-5 (L1)
5. Alcorn St, 5-6 (W2)
6. Jackson St, 5-6 (L3)
7. McNeese St, 5-6 (L1)
8. Mississippi Valley St, 5-6 (W1)
9. Texas Southern, 5-6 (W1)
10. Northwestern St, 3-8 (L5)
11. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 3-8 (L1)
12. Prairie View, 3-8 (W1)

[randy]

Feb 6, 2001: Alabama A&M (13-9, 8-3) @ Alabama St (17-5, 10-1)

Pregame Notes

• In our last game against ALAM (69-62 road win), our zone was effective in stopping their inside plays, plus we were able to control the boards. C Reginald Davis had 18 pts on 9-11 FG and 9 rebounds in that game.
• Since their defeat against us on the conference opener, ALAM won 8 of 10 games. They have improved significantly on their outside shooting (40% 3PT, #1 SWAC), so we have to be ready to change our defensive game plan

Tip off

SG Haven Wilkerson matching the output of the entire ALAM team, 15 pts, 5-7 FG. ALAM has already converted 2 3PT shots. We'll mix our defense with m2m.
12:37, Up 20-15

Maybe the game plan of ALAM is to let SG Haven Wilkerson (24 pts) put up as many pts as he can, as long as the other players are contained. ALAM still hitting outside shots to keep themselves within the game. We'll slightly increase def intensity.
7:52, Up 31-26

Our defense started to improve. The other players were able to contribute on offense even if SG Haven Wilkerson is resting on the bench.


Halftime, Up 46-37
SG Haven Wilkerson shot 9-12 FG and 6-7 FT, in one of the most dominating performance of a single player I've seen so far. We should be ok in this game, if we can take better care of the ball in the 2nd half (we


Start of 2nd half

SG Haven Wilkerson adding 10 more pts in the 2nd half, to put his total to 31. ALAM starting to miss most of their shots. But we're early in the penalty, which is a concern for us.
13:39, Up 58-43

ALAM regaining their touch from the perimeter, but their 16 turn overs have effectively stopped any kind of little momentum they build. Backup PG Thomas Scott has been shooting well the past few games, and today has already contributed 8 pts off the bench.
6:59, Up 73-58

It took a little while to out the game beyond doubt, as we were also guilty of committing turn overs. But we had enough cushion to get another win, against possibly our biggest threat for the conference title.


Final Score: Alabama A&M - 67, Alabama St - 88
Despite the big game by SG Haven Wilkerson, we ended up with 3 more players scoring in double figures. We are averaging almost 92 ppg in our last 3 home games!


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 38, 1, 0, 14-20 FG, 9-10 FT (*)
Davis 10, 11, 2, 2 stls
Andrews 10, 5, 0
Scott 10, 4, 4
Walls 7, 0, 1, 3 tos
Victor 5, 3, 3, 2 blks
DeLord 4, 2, 2, 2 stls, 4 tos
Popp 2, 1, 0, 2 stls
Hawkins 2, 1, 0
Everhart 0, 0, 3
Perkins 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 60-42%
REB: +2
TO: -3 (ALAM: 19)
Pts in paint: +22
2nd chance: -3
Fast break: -6
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 11-1 (W6)
2. Austin Peay, 9-3 (W1)
3. Alabama A&M, 8-4 (L1)
4. McNeese St, 6-6 (W1)
5. Grambling, 6-6 (L2)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 6-6 (W2)
7. Texas Southern, 5-7 (L1)
8. Alcorn St, 5-7 (L1)
9. Jackson St, 5-7 (L4)
10. Northwestern St, 4-8 (W1)
11. Prairie View, 4-8 (W2)
12. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 3-9 (L2)