FORT VALLEY, Ga. – The Homecoming HPE Arena crowd was an all Gold Out Saturday night. Albany State spoiled the festivities as it slipped past Fort Valley State, 70-66, in men's basketball action.
After an eight-point spurt, FVSU tied the contest at 64-64 on a Hassane Diallo 3-point play with 2:03 remaining. The Golden Rams netted the next two buckets for a 4-point edge, 68-64. Kevan Eskridge pulled the Wildcats back to within two, 68-66, with 1:11 to go, but his team miss a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws in the final minute to allow the visitors to take away the close win.
Kenton Eskridge completed the night with top Wildcat honors with 19 points on 6 of 12 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the charity stripe to go with three rebounds and two steals. Myson Lowe added 12 points and three boards, while Kevan Eskridge contributed 11 points, four caroms and two assists. Diallo finished with eight tallies and four rebounds. Davorian Rudolph and Joe Williams produced seven points and five rebounds and five points and six rebounds to complete the home effort.
Shakur Poteat led all scorers with 20 points for ASU.
After the opening two points on the board for the Golden Rams, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run for a 11-2 lead only 6:22 into the night. The home advantage increased by a point to an even 10 at 17-7 less than two minutes later. FVSU continued to hold the lead at 25-18 before a 9-0 spurt gave ASU a slim 27-25 margin. The Golden Rams finished the first half on an overall 15-2 run over the final 5:49 for a 33-27 intermission lead.
The ASU edge went to double digits in the early second-half moments after a 3-pointer at 42-32. FVSU answered with the following eight points to come back to within a bucket, 42-40. The home team registered a second eight points in a row to tied the game at 64-64 with 2:03 on the Diallo 3-point play.
FVSU will finish its regular season with three-consecutive road affairs starting with a makeup game at Benedict College on Monday night (Feb. 19) starting at 7 p.m.
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