Finding ways to win

[randy]

Jan 26, 2002: Alabama St (16-3, 8-0) @ Mississippi Valley St (12-7, 4-4)

Pregame Notes

• Both teams averaging 75+ ppg. MVST likes to play fast pace. Last year's SWAC FOY, MVST's SG Anthony Crawford, averaging 15.5 ppg

Tip off


Great execution on our offense, resulting in 8 assists (PG Johnny Victor already with 6), and 10-15 FG shooting. C Robbie Wise has been effective down low, 8 pts, 4-4 FG.
11:43, Up 25-12

We got into penalty, allowing MCST to score some pts from the line, but our good shooting clip continues (6-8 3PT)
4:52, Up 40-26

7 turn overs and more fouls given up, somehow prevented us from building our lead even further.


Halftime, Up 49-35
Defense will be the difference in this game. I think we played well enough on the defensive end, considering MVST scored of their 35 pts from the FT line. MVST's SG Anthony Crawford not much of a factor so far, 4 pts, 1-8 FG.


Start of 2nd half

Our defense starting to get a bit lax. And no one has stepped up on offense, except for SG Haven Wilkerson who scored 9 of our 11 2nd half pts so far. We will increase def intensity, as MVST has the capability to quickly wipe out our lead
12:38, Up 60-50

SG Drew Walker drained 3 triples to lead the 2nd unit in extending our lead.
6:40, Up 71-56

We had a well rested starting unit to finish the game, and MVST wasn't able to match our energy to muster a comeback


Final Score: Alabama St - 83, Mississippi Valley St - 66
Our 2 freshmen, SG Drew Walker and C Robbie Wise continues with their impressive season. Wise with a career high in points and rebounds today.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 21, 2, 1, 5-10 3PT
Wilkerson 20, 4, 2 (*)
Wise 15, 11, 1
Andrews 9, 8, 0
Popp 6, 3, 1
Victor 5, 2, 10, 4 tos
Walls 4, 6, 1
Perkins 3, 0, 1
Hawkins 0, 4, 0
Scott 0, 1, 5, 3 tos
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-39%
REB: +10
TO: +3
Pts in paint: +16
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 9-0 (W9)
2. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 6-3 (W1)
3. Northwestern St, 6-3 (W4)
4. Alcorn St, 5-4 (W3)
5. Texas Southern, 5-4 (L3)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 4-5 (L1)
7. Grambling, 4-5 (L3)
8. Austin Peay, 4-5 (W2)
9. Jackson St, 3-6 (W1)
10. Alabama A&M, 3-6 (L2)
11. McNeese St, 3-6 (L1)
12. Prairie View, 2-7 (L5)

[randy]

Jan 30, 2002: Jackson St (4-16, 3-6) @ Alabama St (17-3, 9-0)

Pregame Notes

• JKST is 0-13 on the road this season. They commit 17.5 turn overs per game (4th worst national)

Tip off

We don't want to give JKST any hope of any upset victory today, and we're showing it right from the start
13:43, Up 15-5

JKST making a couple of 3s, but they have already committed 9 turn overs.
7:14, Up 34-16

JKST's defense has been nonexistent, and our players just doing what they want to do on offense. We shot 71% FG in the 1st half.


Halftime, Up 54-25
Bench will play majority of the 2nd half


Start of 2nd half

We can't possibly sustain a 70% FG shooting the entire game, but this one can be considered over.
13:20, Up 64-32

Plenty of garbage time today


Final Score: Jackson St - 58, Alabama St - 94
I wish all games will be as easy as this


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 19, 5, 1 (*)
Walker 18, 0, 1, 6-9 3PT
Andrews 12, 1, 0
Wise 10, 5, 1, 2 stls
Perkins 10, 2, 1
Victor 6, 2, 4
Hillier 5, 1, 0
Hawkins 4, 0, 1
Scott 3, 3, 6
Reuter 3, 1, 0
Popp 2, 8, 2
Clark 2, 0, 1
Walls 0, 2, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 64-36%
REB: +8
TO: -6
Pts in paint: +26
2nd chance: -6
Fast break: +4
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 10-0 (W10)
2. Northwestern St, 7-3 (W5)
3. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 6-4 (L1)
4. Mississippi Valley St, 5-5 (W1)
5. Alcorn St, 5-5 (L1)
6. Texas Southern, 5-5 (L4)
7. Alabama A&M, 4-6 (W1)
8. McNeese St, 4-6 (W1)
9. Grambling, 4-6 (L4)
10. Austin Peay, 4-6 (L1)
11. Prairie View, 3-7 (W1)
12. Jackson St, 3-7 (L1)

[randy]

Feb 2, 2002: Alabama St (18-3, 10-0) @ Grambling (9-12, 4-6)

Pregame Notes

After a promising start in the conference, GRAM has lost 5 of their last 6 games. In 5 of their losses in the conference, GRAM scored no more than 58 pts

Tip off

We led early by 10, but GRAM able to come up with a 7-0 run, and they are scoring mostly on the inside.
13:28, Up 15-12

Both teams have not been consistent on offense, but our rebounding (7 off rebounds) giving us the edge on getting more scoring opportunities. Both teams in the penalty.
7:38, Up 27-18

Our 9 turn overs almost negating the advantage we have on rebounding. Fortunately, our outside shots are falling (SG Drew Walker and PF David Andrews combined for 5 triples)


Halftime, Up 42-31
We'll start of with a 2-3 zone in the 2nd half, hoping to limit GRAM's inside pts and also minimize our fouls (GRAM made 11 FTs in the 1st half)


Start of 2nd half

Both teams are cold from the outside in the 2nd half. Both teams playing the zone.
9:02, Up 58-44

GRAM making a 7-0 run, before SG Drew Walker hit a clutch basket. We have 13 turn overs already, as compared to only 8 by GRAM.
6:57, Up 60-51

GRAM with 7 unanswered pts. And we continue to brick a lot of shots. Timeout. We'll change to m2m defense
4:51, Up 60-58

GRAM able to tie the game. SG Drew Walker drains his 4th triple of the game, and then the two teams exchanging baskets.
3:12, Up 65-63

ALST: SG Haven Wilkerson (21 pts) hits a big basket.
2:59, Up 67-63

GRAM: They turned it over
ALST: Miss by Wilkerson
GRAM: We came away with a steal. 2 consecutive turn overs by GRAM
ALST: SG Drew Walker faing a 3. He dribble closer. Pulls up a jump shot. It's in!
1:46, Up 69-63

GRAM: And they turned over again for the 3rd straight time, on a bad pass
ALST: C Robbie Wise missing a jumper. Wise has been off today, 0-6 FG, most likely because of GRAM's zone defense. Timeout GRAM
0:58, Up 69-63

GRAM: They finally get a FG on another inside play. I call a timeout
0:46, Up 69-65

ALST: They fouled SG Drew Walker while attempting a 3. Walker nails 3 straight FTs. Timeout GRAM
0:33, Up 72-65

3 possession game. GRAM splits their FT on their next possession. We were able to effectively waste some time, notwithstanding a buzzer-beating 3 by GRAM


Final Score: Alabama St - 72, Grambling - 69
A close finish. Our defense just came at the right time, forcing 3 straight turn overs on GRAM late in the game, and effectively stopped their momentum


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 21, 4, 2 (*)
Walker 19, 1, 2, 4-8 3PT
Andrews 10, 4, 0
Victor 8, 8, 2, 2 blks, 5 tos
Popp 5, 5, 2
Perkins 4, 5, 1
Hawkins 2, 4, 2
Scott 2, 2, 3
Walls 1, 5, 0
Wise 0, 3, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 42-41%
REB: +10
TO: +3
Pts in paint: +2
2nd chance: +12 (15-3)
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 11-0 (W11)
2. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 7-4 (W1)
3. Northwestern St, 7-4 (L1)
4. Texas Southern, 6-5 (W1)
5. Mississippi Valley St, 5-6 (L1)
6. Alcorn St, 5-6 (L2)
7. Austin Peay, 5-6 (W1)
8. Jackson St, 4-7 (W1)
9. Alabama A&M, 4-7 (L1)
10. Grambling, 4-7 (L5)
11. Prairie View, 4-7 (W2)
12. McNeese St, 4-7 (L1)

[randy]

Feb 2, 2002: #23 Alabama St (19-3, 11-0) @ Alabama A&M (10-12, 4-7)

Pregame Notes

• We were down by 10 during the 1st half the last time we met, but turned it around defensively in the 2nd half (65-50 home win). ALAM had 22 turn overs
• We're finally a ranked team this season. Last year, we only stayed in the rankings for just 2 weeks.

Tip off

We're on target offensively at the start of the game, 6-10 FG.
13:37, Up 14-9

ALAM not able to execute properly on their offense, committing 7 turn overs, and have converted just 5 FGs so far. We're in the penalty, but ALAM only shooting 50% FT (4-8)
6:27, Up 33-15

SG Haven Wilkerson just scoring from almost anywhere on the floor (20 pts), and almost matched the entire output of ALAM


Halftime, Up 48-22
ALAM limited to 27% FG in the 1st half, plus 10 turn overs.


Start of 2nd half

ALAM able to convert 3 triples at the start of the 2nd half. Good thing we had a big cushion after the 1st, and SG Haven Wilkerson (26 pts) continues to have a big offensive game
13:52, Up 54-35

ALAM's offense has been much better here in the 2nd half, but they can't just afford to trade baskets with us. It's still far from over though. We have to play better defensively, esp in the perimeter
7:13, Up 67-52

Our lead was cut to 10, 67-57, as ALAM's PG Garner Masic (21 pts) carrying the team on his back scoring 5 straight pts. We brought the lead back up to 15, but ALAM is resilient.
2:26, Up 76-65

SG Haven Wilkerson got blocked. ALAM scored on the other end. Wilkerson missed his next shot. And ALAM scores again. Timeout.
1:16, Up 76-69

ALST: ALAM fouled and got into the penalty. PG Johnny Victor, an 80+% FT shooter, missed the front end of a 1-1
ALAM: We forced their C Walter Jones to shoot a long 2. Miss. That would have been a big shot for them
ALST: SG Haven Wilkerson fouled on the act. Wilkerson nails both. Timeout ALAM
0:46, Up 78-69

We slowed down the game, got 2 more FTs, and came away victorious from this crazy game.


Final Score: Alabama St - 80, Alabama A&M - 72
We were up by as many as 28 in the 1st half, and almost suffered a monumental collapse. We gave up 50 pts to ALAM in the 2nd half. Aside from good quality minutes of backup big men C Chris Hawkins and C Will Perkins, SG Haven Wilkerson didn't get much scoring support today.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 38, 5, 2 (*)
Andrews 8, 3, 1, 2 stls
Hawkins 8, 2, 0
Perkins 6, 3, 1
Wise 6, 2, 1
Scott 5, 1, 3
Walker 4, 5, 2
Clark 3, 2, 1
Popp 2, 3, 1
Victor 0, 3, 6
Walls 0, 2, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-44%
REB: -5
TO: -6
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: -9
Fast break: -2
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 12-0 (W12)
2. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-4 (W2)
3. Texas Southern, 7-5 (W2)
4. Northwestern St, 7-5 (L2)
5. Mississippi Valley St, 6-6 (W1)
6. Alcorn St, 6-6 (W1)
7. Austin Peay, 5-7 (L1)
8. Prairie View, 5-7 (W3)
9. Jackson St, 4-8 (L1)
10. Alabama A&M, 4-8 (L2)
11. McNeese St, 4-8 (L2)
12. Grambling, 4-8 (L6)

[randy]

Feb 9, 2002: Alcorn St (11-12, 6-6) @ #23 Alabama St (20-3, 12-0)

Pregame Notes

• We averaged 92 ppg in our last 3 home games, while ALCST averaged 55 ppg in their last 3 road games

Tip off

A very shaky start for us, shooting just 29% FG. ALCST has connected on 3 triples already. Probably a case of overconfidence on the part of our players. I had to wake them up
10:33, Down 10-15

Our defense starting to turn this game around. But our offense still anemic.
6:30, Tied at 17

SG Haven Wilkerson picked up his 3rd foul, and had to sit the remainder of the 1st half. Our FG shooting starting to climb, but ALCST has been hot from beyond the arc, 7-13 3PT.


Halftime, Tied at 33
This is a very tricky game. We've increased our def intensity, and yet ALCST continues to drain down those 3s. Foul count is not in our favor, and we're just lucky that ALCST shot just 4-9 FT


Start of 2nd half

ALCST added two more 3PT baskets at the start of the 2nd half, and both teams not allowing the other to make an extended run.
13:23, Up 42-41

ALCST now missing their shots. A completed 3 pt play opportunity by PF David Andrews gave us our biggest lead so far
9:13, Up 51-43

Both teams got into penalty. ALCST still shooting less than 50% of their FTs. ALCST was able to cut down our lead to just 6, after connecting on a 3PT shot, with less than 2 minutes left. But SG Drew Walker answered back also with a 3. A turn over by ALCST and a jumper by PG Johnny Victor on the other end, sealed the game for us.


Final Score: Alcorn St - 58, Alabama St - 69
Game was closer than the final score indicates. The slight difference was the small run we had middle of the 2nd half, and ALCST's poor FT shooting.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 18, 3, 1, 2 stls, 3 tos (*)
Walker 11, 1, 2, 4 stls
Victor 9, 4, 6, 3 blks
Wise 8, 7, 0
Scott 8, 2, 1
Andrews 7, 6, 1
Perkins 5, 5, 0
Hawkins 2, 2, 0
Walls 1, 2, 1
Popp 0, 2, 0, 3 tos
Clark 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 49-38%
REB: +3
TO: -2
Pts in paint: +22
2nd chance: +5
Fast break: +7
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 13-0 (W13)
2. Northwestern St, 8-5 (W1)
3. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-5 (L1)
4. Texas Southern, 7-6 (L1)
5. Mississippi Valley St, 7-6 (W2)
6. Alcorn St, 6-7 (L1)
7. Austin Peay, 6-7 (W1)
8. Alabama A&M, 5-8 (W1)
9. Grambling, 5-8 (W1)
10. Prairie View, 5-8 (L1)
11. McNeese St, 4-9 (L3)
12. Jackson St, 4-9 (L2)

[randy]

Feb 13, 2002: #20 Alabama St (21-3, 13-0) @ Northwestern St (13-11, 8-5)

Pregame Notes

• We have locked up the #1 seed for the conference tournament. In order to prevent unnecessary injuries to our key players, I'll be sitting out SG Haven Wilkerson and PF David Andrews. PG Thomas Scott is also unavailable due to a strained calf (75%)

Tip off

Not because we have a depleted lineup that we will just roll over and give this game away. I told the players to have more urgency on defense, as NWST took a lot of uncontested shots.
10:51, Down 17-21

NWST capitalized on our foul troubles, and able to shoot 14-18 FTs. But the key stat is that we have only forced NWST to only 3 turn overs.


Halftime, Down 36-46
Only 2 fast break pts for us in the 2nd half. If we want to salvage this game, we need to score more on transition. SG Drew Walker not having a good shooting day, just 1-7 3PT.


Start of 2nd half

SG Drew Walker burying 3 triples, but it wasn't enough as NWST continues to be hot from the perimeter (8-15 3PT). We'll have to take a risk and increase further on def intensity.
13:54, Down 48-60

Our big men trying to get us back in the game, and we cut our deficit to just 5. But NWST's SF Eddy Flanigan (23 pts, 7-10 3PT) is just in the zone today, connecting on two more 3s, to restore their double digit lead.
6:43, Down 61-72

SG Drew Walker drains his 5th 3PT shot (all in the 2nd half), and it started a 7-0 run, to have one more shot at staging a comeback.
4:33, Down 68-72

Miss by NWST. NWST got into penalty on our next play. PG Johnny Victor makes both FTs. It's a 9-0 run
3:52, Down 70-72

NWST ending their scoring drought and making 2 consecutive FGs. SG Drew Walker answers back with another 3. NWST's SF Eddy Flanigan puts up a 3 from way out and it goes in! That was Flanigan's 8th triple of the game, and a dagger at that. Timeout
2:19, Down 73-79

We miss our next two 3PT attempts. NWST scored 2 FTs. Time running out, and we will go with more 3PT shots. SG Drew Walker gets a 3PT shot to go, with 38 secs left and down 5. We didn't go for a foul, and instead forced an NWST turn over. Walker shoots a quick 3, and it goes in again! We're not giving up
0:13, Down 79-81

I shouted instructions that we should foul immediately. Unfortunately, NWST sank both FTs to give them a 2 possession lead, with not much time left.


Final Score: Alabama St - 79, Northwestern St - 83
Good effort by the players in trying to comeback. The 2 teams shot a combined 21 3PT shots in the game; 8 each from SG Drew Walker and NWST's SF Eddy Flanigan. Walker scored 24 of his 26 pts in the 2nd half, all from long distance.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 26, 2, 3, 2 stls, 3 tos, 8-22 3PT
Wise 19, 8, 1
Hawkins 10, 6, 0
Victor 9, 1, 9
Perkins 6, 1, 0
Reuter 3, 0, 5, fouled out
Popp 2, 7, 0
Walls 2, 4, 1
Clark 2, 2, 0
Hillier 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 50-45%
REB: +3
TO: +3
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: -5
Fast break: Even
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 13-1 (L1)
2. Northwestern St, 9-5 (W2)
3. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-6 (L2)
4. Texas Southern, 7-7 (L2)
5. Austin Peay, 7-7 (W2)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 7-7 (L1)
7. Alcorn St, 6-8 (L2)
8. Alabama A&M, 6-8 (W2)
9. Grambling, 6-8 (W2)
10. Prairie View, 5-9 (L2)
11. McNeese St, 5-9 (W1)
12. Jackson St, 5-9 (W1)

[randy]

Feb 16, 2002: #20 Alabama St (21-4, 13-1) @ Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-13, 8-6)

Pregame Notes

• Last encounter with ARPB was a classic come-from-behind game (72-63 home win). We were down by as many as 17 during the 1st half, and then outscored ARPB 50-27 in the 2nd half
• SG Haven Wilkerson and PF David Andrews will again sit out this game. PG Thomas Scott still injured

Tip off

SG Drew Walker (12 pts) already with 4 3PT shots. Not far behind is ARPB's SG Antoine Childs (8 pts, 2 triples).
12:46, Up 14-12

Our defense able to make stops, and the other players contributed on offense while SG Drew Walker is resting on the bench.
7:28, Up 23-17

Never mind that we got into the penalty, but our defense was excellent in the 1st half, limiting ARPB to 29% FG and 8 turn overs


Halftime, Up 31-21
With SG Drew Walker (17 pts, 5-9 3PT) scoring more than half of our production, it is apparent that we will this game only if we continue to play good defense.


Start of 2nd half

SG Drew Walker started cold in the 2nd half, but once he got his 1st triple of the 2nd half to fall, he followed it up with 2 more trifectas. Walker now with 26 pts.
13:23, Up 43-30

The bench did a good job of maintaining control of the game, allowing me to give plenty of rest for SG Drew Walker.
6:11, Up 54-39

Our defense was consistent the whole game, and we were not able to give ARPB a chance to make any semblance of a rally, not allowing our lead to go below 15.


Final Score: Alabama St - 62, Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 43
Nice collective effort on defense, limiting ARPB below 30% shooting on their home court. SG Drew Walker making the most of his extended playing time, making 16 3PT shots in the last 2 games.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 26, 5, 0, 3 tos, 8-16 3PT (*)
Hawkins 7, 4, 1
Popp 6, 6, 0
Victor 5, 7, 8, 3 tos
Wise 5, 5, 0
Perkins 4, 6, 0
Clark 4, 3, 2
Walls 3, 3, 0
Hillier 2, 1, 3
Reuter 0, 0, 1, fouled out
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 40-28%
REB: +11
TO: +1
Pts in paint: +6
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: Even
[/INDENT]


SWAC Standings

1. Alabama St, 14-1 (W1)
2. Northwestern St, 9-6 (L1)
3. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-7 (L3)
4. Texas Southern, 8-7 (W1)
5. Austin Peay, 8-7 (W3)
6. Mississippi Valley St, 7-8 (L2)
7. Alabama A&M, 7-8 (W3)
8. Grambling, 6-9 (L1)
9. Alcorn St, 6-9 (L3)
10. Prairie View, 6-9 (W1)
11. McNeese St, 6-9 (W2)
12. Jackson St, 5-10 (L1)

[randy]

Feb 20, 2002: McNeese St (12-14, 6-9) @ #20 Alabama St (22-4, 14-1)

Pregame Notes

• Aside from SG Wilkerson and PF David Andrews, I will be resting PG Johnny Victor. PG Scott Thomas still slightly injured, but is suited up and will start

Tip off

Took some time before we settled down with our offense, as we trailed early at 3-9. We need to cut down on our turn overs (5)
11:22, Down 14-15

Our 9 turn overs is a big issue, but the major problem we had was our defense allowing MCNST to shoot 50% FG.


Halftime, Down 32-38
Increasing def intensity in the 2nd half, and also focus more on def rebounding as MCNST scored 8 2nd chance pts in the 2nd half.


Start of 2nd half

Our big men started the 2nd half dominating the inside, which helped us get leveled. It has been a very tight game since, as both teams trading big shots after another. MCNST is 7-17 3PT, while we're currently at 6-15 3PT.
8:23, Tied at 61

Still can't separate these 2 teams. We thought we had some momentum building up a small 4-pt lead, but MCNST came right back. Our key lpayers checking back in
3:49, Tied at 68

C Robbie Wise battling hard on the boards, getting 2 off rebounds, got fouled, and scored a FT. Teams traded turn overs. MCNST retook the lead. PG Travis Reuter answering back with a jumper.
2:00, Up 71-70

MCNST: They miss a jumper, but they get an off rebound. They reset. We got called for foul, and got into penalty. They hit both FTs. Timeout.
1:32, Down 71-72

ALST: We give it to C Robbie Wise on the low post. Wise shoots. Miss. Ball out of bounds in favor of MCNST
MCNST: They miss a 3. Timeout.
0:57, Down 71-72

ALST: We go back to C Robbie Wise. And Wise misses again on a short stab. Prior to his consecutive misses, Wise was shooting 7-9 FG. Tough luck.
MCNST: SG Drew Walker gets a steal . He goes all the way for the easy 2. Timeout MCNST.
0:31, Up 73-72

MCNST: They go for the drive. Miss. We rebound. Timeout.
0:16, Up 73-72

ALST: No need to shoot. I've put in good FT shooters on the floor. They foul. 1-1 for PG Travis Reuter. Reuter missed the front end. But C Robbie Wise gets another off rebound. Wise puts up a shot. Miss but got fouled. Wise goes to the line. Makes teh 1st. Missed the 2nd. Timeout MCNST.
0:09, Up 74-72

Good denial defense, and MCNST wasn't able to put up a shot! A great game.


Final Score: McNeese St - 72, Alabama St - 74
A nice win, but more importantly, a confidence-building game for some of our players who were not used to playing major minutes.


Box Scores
[INDENT]Walker 20, 5, 1, 5-12 3PT (*)
Wise 17, 8, 1
Walls 11, 3, 1
Reuter 7, 3, 5, 2 stls
Popp 7, 2, 2
Clark 4, 3, 1
Perkins 4, 1, 0
Hawkins 3, 0, 1
Hillier 1, 1, 1
Scott 0, 1, 6
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 52-49%
REB: -6
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +22
2nd chance: -5
Fast break: +3
[/INDENT]


SWAC Final Standings

1. Alabama St, 15-1 (W2)
2. Northwestern St, 10-6 (W1)
3. Texas Southern, 9-7 (W2)
4. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 8-8 (L4)
5. Mississippi Valley St, 8-8 (W1)
6. Austin Peay, 8-8 (L1)
7. Alcorn St, 7-9 (W1)
8. Alabama A&M, 7-9 (L1)
9. Grambling, 7-9 (W1)
10. Prairie View, 6-10 (L1)
11. McNeese St, 6-10 (L1)
12. Jackson St, 5-11 (L2)

[randy]

Play-In Round

• (5) Mississippi Valley St def (12) Jackson St, 75-67
• (11) McNeese St def (6) Austin Peay, 77-62
• (10) Prairie View def (7) Alcorn St, 59-48
• (9) Grambling def (8) Alabama A&M, 62-60

[randy]

Mar 2, 2002: (9) Grambling (13-15, 7-9) vs (1) #19 Alabama St (23-4, 15-1)

Pregame Notes

• It was a close game when we met GRAM for the only time this season (72-69 road win). We led by as much as 14 in the 1st half, but GRAM able to rally and tie the game with just over 3 minutes left
• Expect a defense-oriented game, as we and GRAM are SWAC #1 and #2 respectively, in opp FG%

Tip off

Our outside snipers on target today, 4-4 3PT, and our front court also major contributors in our offense.
10:39, Up 26-10

GRAM not getting much production offensively, shooting just 35% FG. The good thing about our defense today is that we've only committed just 1 team foul so far.
6:26, Up 31-14

SG does not usually take many shots from beyond the arc, but he's 3-3 3PT today. Wilkerson leads all scorers after the 1st half, with 14 pts.


Halftime, Up 41-24
We can't be complacent, as GRAM showed in their last game against us that they can rally from a big deficit.


Start of 2nd half

GRAM connecting on a couple of 3PT shots to start their 2nd half offense (after going 0-7 3PT in the 1st half). But GRAM wasn't able to make any stops on the defensive end to cut in to our lead. C Robbie Wise (12 pts, 7 rebs) scored our 1st 7 pts of the 2nd half.
13:45, Up 55-36

PF David Andrews hit back-to-back 3s earlier, to put our lead up to 31, and its clear at that point there won't be any big rally from GRAM this time.
7:56, Up 69-38

Sloppy play and inaccurate shooting by our bench warmers made the final score a bit more respectable on the part of GRAM. Even our 2 walkons got some time on the court


Final Score: Grambling - 55, Alabama St - 71


Box Scores
[INDENT]Wilkerson 20, 2, 2, 3-3 3PT (*)
Wise 12, 7, 2, 4 stls
Walker 12, 7, 0
Andrews 11, 7, 0, 3-7 3PT
Hawkins 6, 2, 0
Scott 4, 2, 3
Popp 4, 1, 0
Jones 2, 1, 0
Victor 0, 2, 3
Walls 0, 2, 2
Reuter 0, 2, 0
Perkins 0, 1, 0
Clark 0, 0, 1
Hillier 0, 0, 1
Nabors 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 43-37%
REB: -2
TO: -5
Pts in paint: Even
2nd chance: Even
Fast break: -4
[/INDENT]


SWAC Tournament Results

• (2) Northwestern St def (10) Prairie View, 81-77 OT
• (11) McNeese St def (3) Texas Southern, 63-41
• (5) Mississippi Valley St def (4) Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 74-61