Albany State men swat away Clark Atlanta

ALBANY — Like a buzzing mosquito that constantly aggravates on a hot summer South Georgia night, Clark Atlanta played the role to perfection Monday night at the HPER Gymnasium.

After watching an 18-point advantage get whittled to a basket with 3:25 left, Albany State figured out a way to exterminate the Panthers and take a 92-85 victory.

“That was a typical Clark Atlanta team,” Albany State men’s basketball coach Michael Moore said. “They always get those good athletes from the city that plays good basketball. Plus, their coach does a good job too.”

The Rams used a pair of 3-point plays at the free throw line from Darshtyn Baker and Elijah Jordan to gain themselves some breathing room, then their defense cut down Clark Atlanta’s rally attempt.

It wasn’t the kind of effort Albany State expected after a thrilling homecoming victory over Fort Valley State on Saturday. However, it was enough to earn the victory.

“I was worried about a letdown without the crowd being here,” Moore said. “I was just hoping we weren’t going to have an emotional letdown and that we’d come out with the same intensity that we had Saturday night.”

Baker led the Rams with 24 points, shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line, most of which came in the closing seconds to put the game away.

Larry Bullock added 13 points, Davetom Odom finished with 12 and Jordan chipped in 11 for the Rams, who shot 48 percent from the floor (26 of 54).

Before Albany State sealed the victory by outscoring the Panthers 18-11 over the final 3:25, Clark had cut the lead to 74-72 on a steal and lay up from Damien Enoch.

Albany State (8-11, 4-8 SIAC) appeared to run away with the game in the first half. The Rams built a lead early, then increased it to 18 on a basket from Jeremy Whitmore at the 6:03 mark.

The Rams held Clark to just 25 percent shooting in the first half (9 for 36). But the Panthers shot a blistering 59 percent (20 of 34) in the second half to give themselves a chance to win the game.

“That’s kind of been typical of our season,” Moore said. “In the first half when we have fresh legs, we can run the floor, rebound and transition with easy baskets. But when they get tired and without a big man inside, it makes it hard to drop in down low.

“But our guards played well down the stretch.”