The Albany State Golden Rams finished their homecoming week off going 2-1 over their last three games at home. The week started off with a 58-55 win over conference opponent Savannah State, which was big for our Golden Rams confidence because this three-point win came right after a three-point loss several days before on January the 7th. This win would set the tone for the next game where things got a little more personal against long-time rival Fort Valley State. If you’re familiar with Albany State or Fort Valley, you probably know that whenever these two schools face each other, no matter the sport, it’s going to be a huge game and a crazy atmosphere. From the start of the women’s game to the end of the men’s game the crowd was standing room only. With Fort Valley being only one hour away from Albany State their student section traveled with the team filling up the visitor’s bleachers as if they were the home team. Albany State’s crowd did not disappoint either, packing the home stands to the maximum. From the tipoff, Albany State came out firing, proving to be the more physical team against Fort Valley, grabbing an early lead and never looking back. The Rams cruised to a 73-64 win over the Wildcats led by freshman guard Maxwell Harris who had 18 points coming off the bench. Also, junior forward, Jordan Simpson took over the paint grabbing 12 rebounds.
Following two huge wins at home improving them to 9-14 and 7-7 in conference play, the Albany State men would spend their Valentine’s Day trying to win their third straight game at home against Clark Atlanta University. This game was very competitive and included some extremely difficult shot-making. In the first half, Clark Atlanta seemed like they couldn’t miss, hitting big shot after big shot even several shot-clock beating shots that left the home crowd amazed. Albany State would fight fire with fire, answering every big shot that Clark Atlanta made. This game had everything you could ask for from highlight dunks to high-level shot-making. The game was tied up going into the half, although in crunch time Clark Atlanta would capitalize on several turnovers by Albany State which the Golden Rams could not overcome. Ultimately Clark Atlanta would out dual Albany State 82-73. Clark Atlanta was led by Guard Shannon Smith who led all scorers with 23 points, shooting 5-9 from deep. CAU also had several other players with double-digit scoring nights such as Javonte Sterling who chipped in 18 points of his own, and Justin Longstreet who had 17. Albany State played a great game regardless of the score. The Rams were led by Jordan Simpson who had 18 and Khalif Napoleon who chipped in 16.
After a tough loss at home, Albany State looks to finish their season strong with their last three games on the road against Benedict College, Allen University, and Morehouse.