There truly is nothing better than March Madness. That was proven in the first game between (16) Alabama State vs. (16) Saint Francis.
The Hornets had a game plan going in. Don’t turn the ball over and convert when forcing turnovers. They certainly did that, as they only had six turnovers. Alabama St. scored a massive 26 points off 14 St. Francis turnovers. That likely was the difference in the game, since the two teams were neck and neck all night.
St. Francis was led by Dayton native Juan Cranford Jr. and Valentino Pinedo. The two players had 18 and 17 points respectively to pace the Red Flash.
Alabama St. was led by sophomore guard Amarr Knox who had 16 points. Two of those 16 would prove to be the difference in the game.
It wasn’t just Knox who contributed to the comeback by the Hornets. There were also 11 points scored by senior guard, TJ Matlock. Another senior guard, CJ Hines pitched in 10 points.
Both teams chucked up lots of threes in this one. Saint Francis went 10-22 from three (45.5%), while Alabama St. shot 9/29 from three (32%).
The Red Flash shot the ball 48 times, and the Hornets shot it 70. That equates to just under half of each team’s shots coming from beyond the arch.
Saint Francis as a team makes 34% of their threes. Their opponent, Alabama St, shoots slightly worse at 32.8%. There clearly was an emphasis on the outside shooting. It turns out thatoffense wasn’t the only thing keeping Alabama St. in the game. Their defense came up with nine steals. Their aggressiveness on defense or Saint Francis’ carelessness on offense changed the game.
The end result was an Alabama St. answered prayer with 12 seconds left. With the game tied at 68, Alabama St. had to go the length of the floor. When it was time to inbound the ball, they threw a football pass the length of the floor. Around a jumble of bodies, Amarr Knox was able to come up with it and lay it in. 70-68 was the score, but St. Francis still had time. With only one second left they inbounded the ball. A three quarter court heave fell short, and Alabama St. survived.
The Hornets now get the pleasure of facing number one overall seed Auburn. That will obviously be a tall task, but Alabama St. has momentum. Will they be the third team to beat a one seed in the tournament? The game tips off on Thursday at 2:50ET.
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