Micah Octave scored 14 points as Alabama State beat Mississippi Valley State 84-55 on Saturday night. Octave added nine rebounds for the Hornets (5-9, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference). CJ Hines scored 14 points while going 4 of 6 and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added six assists.

The Bulldogs have gone 5-4 at home. Alabama A&M is third in the SWAC with 32.9 points per game in the paint led by Quincy McGriff averaging

BOTTOM LINE: Alabama State enters the matchup against Mississippi Valley State after losing three games in a row. The Hornets have gone 2-0 in home games. Alabama State is seventh in the SWAC with 27.4 points per game in the paint led by Amarr Knox averaging 5.7.