Tramaine Butler scored 13 points and Alabama State defeated Alabama A&M 53-50 on Saturday night.
Alabama State trailed 26-19 at halftime but opened the second half with an 18-4 run over the first 8 minutes to lead 37-30. The Hornets' biggest lead was nine points and they made 5 of 8 free throws over the final 2:37 to preserve the win.
Jeffrey Middlebrooks added 12 points and Phillip Crawford had 10 for the Hornets (7-10, 4-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference), who have won five of their past six games. The Hornets lead the series 22-7 since 2000.
Neither team shot well as Alabama State made 35.2 percent of its field goal attempts (19 of 54) while the Bulldogs made 33.3 percent (16 of 48).
Demarquelle Tabb had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs (3-11, 1-4), who have lost 10 of their past 11 games.
