OPENING TIP: The final home contest of the opening three-game swing is set for Monday evening as TSU hosts Alabama A&M at 8 p.m. This game will begin 25 minutes after the women's contest against Trevecca that tips at 5:30 p.m. at Gentry Center.
WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN: TSU expanded its partnership with Cromwell Media naming 102.1 FM The Ville as the flagship station for TSU men's basketball. "The Voice of the Tigers" Greg Pogue returns for his 11th season behind the mic and will be reunited with his longtime partner Albert Dawson. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the contest not the actual tip time in doubleheader situations. The action can also be heard on the TSU Tigers app.
The Matchup: Tennessee State Tigers (2-0, 0-0 OVC) vs. Alabama A&M Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0 SWAC)
Date/Time: Monday, November 13 at 8:00 p.m.
Location: Gentry Center || Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN+ — Jeff Hem (pxp), Ron Slay (analyst)
Radio: 102.1 FM The Ville — Greg Pogue (pxp), Albert Dawson (analyst)
LIVE STATS
SERIES INFORMATION: The 23rd all-time meeting between TSU and fellow HBCU Alabama A&M commences on Monday. TSU leads the series 17-5 after dropping an 82-73 decision last year on the road to start the season. TSU won the first meeting during the 1968-69 season. Before last season, the previous meeting was on December 3, 2013, in a 65-66 loss at home. Monti Davis set the TSU single-game rebound record with 30 boards vs. the Bulldogs on Jan. 8, 1979
LAST TIME OUT VS. ALABAMA A&M: Dedric Boyd led the Tigers in his debut with 17 points. Former Tiger Kassim Nicholson had 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Bulldogs return four of the five players who finished in double figures from last season's game —Garrett Hicks (16), EJ Williams (15), Cameron Tucker (10), and Dailin Smith (10). With the score tied 65-all with 6:59 left in regulation, Alabama A&M went on a 17-8 run the rest of the way to spoil TSU's season-opener.
SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M: The Bulldogs opened the season on Thursday and fell to North Alabama 84-76 at Elmore Gym. Hicks led the way with 18 points and made all four baskets from the outside. Williams contributed 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Junior transfer Messiah Thompson added 12 points in his debut. The Bulldogs scored nearly half of their points inside the paint (30) and knocked down nine triples as a team. However, on the glass, A&M struggled to pull down 19 rebounds —10 offensive —as compared to North Alabama's 30 team rebounds.
CLAY STAYS HOT: Jr. Clay had his second 20+ points performance as a Tiger with a team-tying 23 points against South Carolina State. Clay added four rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. Through two games, Clay is averaging a team-best 26.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He's shooting 60 percent from the field, 53 percent from the outside, and 70 percent from the line.
GRIFFS GIFT: Zion Griffin had an impressive game with 23 points and nine rebounds in 34 minutes. This was his third-best performance after a 24-point outing against Oakland and a career-best 27 points at Robert Morris while he was with Illinois-Chicago. His nine rebounds tied for his second-best performance on the glass with the others against Oakland and Robert Morris.
STARTERS DOMINATE TIME: All five starters played nearly 30-plus minutes in the win over South Carolina State.
