All bark, no bite: Southern Men hang against Alabama A&M Bulldogs

With first place in conference play in their sights, Southern looked to take down Alabama A&M in the mini-dome Saturday night. The last time these teams saw each was last season, with Southern coming out on top. The Jag’s looked to continue their win streak as they came off of a win against Jackson State in their previous game. Alabama A&M was also coming off a win against Grambling State going into the game. With both teams coming off of wins, they both looked to capitalize on their momentum in the night’s game.
The first half went according to plan for the Jaguars as they led by eleven points at halftime. Their defense was dominant, forcing multiple turnovers and getting out on the break. Another aspect of the first half was that Southern never lost the lead. Their ability to control the pace and tempo of the game gave them the edge.
The second half was much more competitive as Southern seemed to take their foot off the gas to begin the half. Alabama A&M cut the Jag’s lead to seven-points just two minutes into the second half. Southern, however, struck back quickly by drawing fouls and getting to the line. Southern shot just north of 60% from the free-throw line on the night. Later in the quarter, Southern became an offensive juggernaut as they went on a 14-0 run against the Bulldogs. However, their steam began to die down as they became tired from the blistering pace of play that they had set for the game. As the game slowed down, it became more competitive as the Bulldogs reduced the Jag’s lead to seven points with a minute and thirty seconds to go in the game. Southern closed the game out with some key free throws from Junior guard P.J Byrd. The Jag’s were able to secure the victory 73-64.
Redshirt Sophomore Terrell Williams Jr. led the Jag’s effort. He finished with twelve points and a team-leading nine rebounds. Head Coach Sean Woods spoke about Williams’s effort after the game. “When his energy is up, he’s really good.” Coach Woods also talked about why they dialed back their pressure in the second half. “ We took the (full court) pressure off because I thought we were getting a little fatigued.” Woods continued, “ We tightened up in the halfcourt defense, kept the ball out of the paint, and made them take tough shots.”
With this win, the Jag’s took sole possession of the number one spot in the conference standings with a record of 8-2. Their next game will be against Alabama State who is coming off a win against Grambling State. The Jag’s will look to hold on to the top spot in the SWAC on Monday night.