FRANKFORT, Ky. ----- Jarett Croff scored a career-high 21 points and added 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, but the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team fell 82-76 in its road contest at Kentucky State Saturday.

NOTES
• The Warhawks fell to 5-16 on the season.
• Kentucky State improved to 7-11 overall.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Croff finished 9-of-18 from the field en route to the double-double. His 21 points bettered his previous high of 12, set against Florida Southern on Dec. 17, 2016. He added a pair of blocks in the contest.
• Desmond DeRamus matched Croff with a team-high 21 points, adding six rebounds and three assists.
• Darrion Taylor contributed 18 points and five rebounds for the Warhawks.
• Malcolm Smith led the Thorobreds with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
• Dorian Jordan also tallied a double-double of 14 points and 13 assists for KSU.
• Julius Barton scored a game-high 22 points, finishing 10-of-12 from the field for Kentucky State.
• Michael Cross contributed eight points and 11 rebounds for the Thorobreds.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Warhawks exploded out of the gates, taking a 20-10 lead following a trey by Lafayette James-Core with 14:24 remaining in the half.
• The Thorobreds countered with a 16-6 run and tied the game at 26-26 on a 3-pointer by Toussaint Shaak Rose with 9:20 left in the period.
• Kentucky State extended its run by adding a 13-2 spurt during the next 4:35 and took a 39-28 advantage following a 3-pointer by Cross at the 4:55 mark of the half.
• Down the stretch of the first half, the Warhawks closed to within six points, 43-37, following a DeRamus layup with 2:11 remaining, but KSU closed the half with the final five points and led 48-37 at halftime.
• The Thorobreds scored the first four points of the second half and took a game-high 15-point lead, 52-37, with 18:54 remaining in the contest.
• Despite the deficit still being 15 points, 69-54, with 11:17 left, the Warhawks used a 13-2 spurt and closed to within four points, 71-67, on a Taylor trey with 6:50 remaining.
• AUM held Kentucky State without a field goal for the final 3:52 of the contest and pulled to within two points, 78-76, on a DeRamus layup with 1:32 remaining. However, the Thorobreds hit all four free throws down the stretch to provide the final margin.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• AUM finished 29-of-68 from the field, good for 42.6 percent. The Warhawks hit 8-of-25 from behind the arc, but just 10-of-20 from the free throw line.
• The Thorobreds converted 37.8 percent of their shots from the floor, including 6-of-23 from distance. KSU finished 20-of-29 from the charity stripe.
• The Warhawks committed 12 turnovers, leading to 15 points for KSU. The Thorobreds committed 10 turnovers, which led to nine points for AUM.
• Kentucky State held a 51-45 advantage on the boards, including an 18-12 edge on the offensive glass. The Thorobreds held a 17-12 advantage in second-chance points.
• Each team scored 40 points in the paint.         
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks return home for a contest against Trevecca Nazarene on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.