MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In a game where junior guard Darrion Taylor matched his career high in scoring with 24 points the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball squad dropped an 80-78 decision to Gulf South Conference foe the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Saturday afternoon, as the Warhawks were able to get a potential game-winning shot off in the closing seconds but could not get it to fall.
 
NOTES
• AUM falls to 4-4 on the season and 0-2 in league play.
• The Chargers improve to 5-2 this year with a 1-1 mark in the GSC.
• UAH takes a 20-19 lead in the lifetime series against AUM.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Taylor led all players with 24 points on the evening, connecting on a career-high 8-of-11 from behind the 3-point arc. He also tallied four assists and two rebounds for AUM.
• Junior guard Carlos Bell tallied 13 points, four assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 35 minutes of action.
• Junior forward Mikel Davis tallied a career-high 12 points for the Warhawks, pulling down six rebounds and adding a pair of assists.
• Junior center Aaron Reddick tallied a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with six points and two assists.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The two team battled to a 15-15 tie over the first five minutes of the contest before Davis was able to give AUM a 17-15 advantage with 13:42 to play. Once again the two teams traded the lead back and forth until Davis was able to give the Orange & Black a 25-24 advantage with 7:22 to go in the first.
• UAH would regain the lead eventually going up 37-30 with 3:28 to go until the half. AUM would go on a 7-0 run, tying the game on a Kenneth Keith 3-pointer with 2:22 left on the clock. After a pair of free throw by Bell put AUM up 39-37 the Chargers were able to hit a last-second 3-pointer to take a 40-39 lead into the break.
• Taylor started the second half with a long distance three to give AUM the lead, but UAH responded with one of their own to retake the lead. The Warhawks would retake the lead and eventually earn its largest lead of the night at 50-44 on another Taylor trey with 16:34 to play.
• The Chargers would tie the game at 50-50 with 15:05 to go before a pair of 3-pointers by Taylor and Bell would give the lead back to the Warhawks. UAH would regain the lead once again, only to see Stanley Davis dunk home the go-ahead field goal to give AUM a 64-63 lead with 10:17 left on the clock.
• It would once again be a back and forth affair as the two teams battled to a 69-69 tie with 7:01 to play. However, the Chargers would hit a layup and then another 3-pointer to go up by five with 5:41 to play. Tre Hansbrough would tie the game at 74-74 a minute later and the game was tied once again.
• UAH would again score five points quickly to take a 79-74 lead with 3:27 to play. With :38 seconds to play Mikel Davis hit a put-back layup to cut the deficit to 79-78. AUM would foul going back the other way and UAH was able to convert a free throw to take an 80-78 lead with :32 seconds left.
• With time running out UAH had four fouls to give, disrupting the Warhawks' attempts to get their offense in rhythm. Hansbrough was able to get a hard-fought 3-point attempt off but missed, only to see a UAH player knock the rebound out of bounds with :00.9 seconds on the clock. Bell would attempt another three from the top of the key on the inbounds play but the attempt bounced off the rim.

QUOTING THE COACH

 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• UAH won the rebounding battle 35-30.
• The Chargers outscored AUM 40-39 in the first half and 40-39 in the second half.
• Each team tallied 18 assists.
• UAH shot 52.5 percent from the floor while AUM shot 48.3.
• Each team connected on 14 treys.
• The game featured 18 lead changes and 12 tie scores.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks host Tuskegee on Monday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in their next contest. AUM earned an 80-71 victory over the Golden Tigers on Nov. 20 in Tuskegee.
 
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