Alabama State holds on to beat MVSU 73-65

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Phillip Crawford finished 12 of 17 for a career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds as Alabama State held on to beat Mississippi Valley State 73-65 Monday.

Jamel Waters scored 11 points and Shawntez Patterson added 10 to help Alabama State (8-16, 5-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) snap a three-game losing streak.

Trailing at halftime 40-27, Mississippi Valley State fought back to take a 54-53 lead on Davon Usher’s jumper with 6:49 remaining.

After Usher’s 3-pointer gave the Delta Devils a 59-56 advantage, Patterson’s 3-pointer sparked a 7-0 run for Alabama State to give the Hornets the lead 65-59 with 4:26 left.

Mississippi Valley State (3-18, 3-8) would cut the deficit to 69-64 on Ervin Thomas’ dunk with 1:14 to go, but Waters made a layup and Ryan Watts converted two free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for the Tigers.

Usher led the Delta Devils with 19 points.