Albany State men fall in overtime

ATLANTA — The Albany State men’s basketball team had control of the game Monday night but could not turn its big lead into victory.

After holding a 17-point second half lead, ASU faltered and dropped an 81-79 decision to Clark-Atlanta in overtime.

With the loss, the Rams fell to 9-9 overall and 4-4 in the SIAC. CAU improved to 10-7, 4-2.

Albany State fell behind early and had to fight to get back into contention. At the 14:40 mark, ASU trailed 16-7 but soon generated a run to take the lead. Brandon Hudson’s layup capped a 14-0 run over the next four minutes and gave the Rams a 21-16 advantage.

The visitors continued to lead the rest of the first half. Khaliq Hughes hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave Albany State a 43-38 edge at intermission.

In the second half, the Rams built a commanding lead and appeared to be on their way to victory. ASU opened the stanza with a 14-2 run that produced a 57-40 advantage with 14:51 left in regulation. However, Clark-Atlanta answered with a 23-6 rally of its own to take a 63-62 lead at the 7:49 mark.

For the rest of regulation, the two teams swapped leads. With 2:09 left, Randy McClure gave the Rams the lead, 70-68, with a basket, but Lawrance Triplett tied the game for CAU with and pair of free throws at the 1:09 mark.

After a missed jumper by ASU and a turnover by the Panthers, Michael Green had a chance to win the game for the visitors but his shot was off the mark. Tajai Johnson missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer for Clark and the game went into overtime.

In the extra session, neither team could get a distinct advantage until the end. Clark-Atlanta’s Derek Harper put his team in front 79-77 with a layup with 1:20 left in the game. McClure answered with a jump shot to tie and he also drew a foul. He missed the free throw and CAU had the basketball with 43 seconds remaining.

After a missed attempt, Albany State had the ball but a turnover and foul put Anthony Williams at the line for the Panthers. He made both free throws to put CAU ahead 81-79 with five seconds left. Hughes’ 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark.

McClure led Albany State with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hughes recorded 15 points and seven assists, Michael Green scored 12 points, and Juwan High added 11 points.

Albany State will return home on Saturday when it hosts Claflin University. Game time is slated for 3 p.m.