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The loss in late February was especially frustrating to Jackson after watching his team lead for most of the contest. Alabama State and Southern traded baskets — and the lead — for a four-minute span in the first half, but the Hornets led for the final 5:04 of the first half and the entire second half until Derick Beltran’s pull-up jumper with 1:42 remaining.
“We held them to 55 points,” Jackson said. “I’m sure that was under their season average (by seven points). We played enough defense to win the ballgame. It’s our offense that hurt us down the stretch. And we had opportunities. We just didn’t get it done.”
Butler reached the 1,000-point career mark midway through the first half and finished with 18 points, giving the senior guard 1,011 career points. He was the only player in double figures for the Hornets, another indication of Alabama State’s offensive struggles on Monday.
“It was us,” Butler said. “We got away from what we’ve been doing and what was working. We tried new things and it didn’t work.”
Alabama State (10-16) dropped to 7-7 in SWAC play and will play its last two games on the road this weekend, beginning Saturday at Texas Southern.
Beltran led Southern (15-13, 11-4 SWAC) with 22 points, followed by Quinton Doggett with 18.
ASU women 52,
Southern 39
The Alabama State women continued their late-season run, knocking off the SWAC leader in surprisingly easy fashion despite a rash of turnovers.
ASU (11-12) won for the fifth time in the last seven games, moving into a tie for fourth place in the conference at 8-6 with four regular-season games remaining.
The Lady Hornets led by 11 points at the half, then opened the second half with a 13-4 run to lead by as many as 22 points.
Danielle Gazaway scored 13 points and added six rebounds for the Lady Hornets.
Erica Henderson had 10 points and six rebounds while Millicent Jones had 10 points and five rebounds.
The Lady Jaguars (11-11, 10-5) were led by Jamie Floyd’s 13 points.
The Lady Hornets travel to Houston on Saturday for a 5:30 game with Texas Southern.
This story was originally published at: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120221/SPORTS0403/202210311/1180