Tuscaloosa, AL – Contributed – Layne Taylor netted 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting to lead Arkansas State men’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 SBC) in a 101-86 defeat at No. 20 Alabama (2-0, 0-0 SEC) on Friday night inside Coleman Coliseum.

In addition to leading the team in scoring, Taylor matched Royal Blue Smith’s team-high six assists and brought down five rebounds in the contest. Amadou Doumbia recorded the first double-double of his career after tallying 11 points and a team-best 10 rebounds alongside two blocks. Smith also set a new career best with three steals while the team tallied 10 overall.

The Red Wolves shot 32-for-76 (.421) from the field and 15-for-39 (.385) from three-point range while totaling 46 rebounds and forcing 14 turnovers.

Taylor connected on three shots from beyond the arc in the first five minutes of action to push A-State ahead 12-7 early. The lead grew to eight points at the 11:47 mark, but the Crimson Tide used an 8-0 run to tie the game. Both sides traded shots beyond that point, but the opposition eventually regained the lead via a 33-32 score with 4:13 to go.

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Aaron McGee converted a layup and cut the deficit to three, but a 14-0 run in the final 2:05 put the Scarlet & Black behind 51-34 entering intermission. The Red Wolves shot .406 from the field and connected on seven triples in the first 20 minutes of action.

The deficit peaked at 23 when the Red Wolves began to chip away, as a layup and three-pointer from Pyke sparked a 9-0 stretch that made the score 67-55. A-State continued to fight deep into the second half, lowering an 18-point deficit back to 12 following another jumper from Pyke, his fifth field goal of the night. Despite the effort, the Crimson Tide surged once again, opening a 98-73 gap with less than five minutes remaining.

Taylor’s free throws paired with back-to-back three-pointers by Doumbia and McGee made up the Red Wolves’ final offensive surge, resulting in a 101-86 score at the final buzzer.

The Red Wolves return to Jonesboro for a matchup against UT Martin on Nov. 10. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the contest can be streamed on ESPN+ while the radio broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Sports Network and the Red Wolves mobile app.

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