Alabama State stuns Saint Francis for last-second First Four victory

Field Level Media|published: Tue 18th March, 21:17 2025

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Four-Alabama State at Saint Francis

Mar 18, 2025; Dayton, OH, USA; Alabama State Hornets guard Amarr Knox (1) celebrates with guard TJ Madlock (20) in the second half against the St. Francis (Pa) Red Flash at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

DAYTON, Ohio -- Amarr Knox grabbed a loose ball on a length-of-the-court heave and put in the game-winning layup with one second remaining to lift Alabama State to a thrilling 70-68 win over Saint Francis Tuesday night in the First Four.

Knox scored a team-high 16 points and TJ Madlock, son of head coach Tony Madlock, finished with 11 points and seven rebounds for Alabama State (20-15). The Hornets grabbed the No. 16 seed in the South Region and advanced to play Auburn, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, this Thursday in Lexington, Ky.

Saint Francis' Daemar Kelly fouled Madlock on a scramble for the ball near the far sideline with 11.8 seconds remaining. Madlock missed the front end of the 1-and-1 free throw opportunity.

The miss led to a frantic scene at midcourt as Saint Francis clambered to get the ball downcourt for a chance to win the game in regulation. But Juan Cranford Jr. dribbled the ball out of bounds and Alabama State had one more chance to win the game. Micah Simpson (nine points) made the football-style pass from the Hornets' baseline.

Cranford, a Dayton native, led Saint Francis (16-18) with 18 points and eight rebounds. Valentino Pinedo added 17 points and Riley Parker had 12.

The game was filled with many frenetic moments in the final three minutes.

Knox hit an acrobatic floating runner while falling out of bounds to break a 62-62 tie and give the Alabama State the lead with 2:07 remaining.

Saint Francis appeared to be on its way to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, building a nine-point first-half lead before Alabama State rallied in the second half.

Cranford scored 13 points in the first half, helping the Red Flash to a 39-34 halftime lead.

The Red Flash shot a torrid 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the floor in the first half while the Hornets made just 14 of their 33 attempts (42.4 percent).

Saint Francis saw its season end the way it began, losing on the same University of Dayton Arena court where the season opened with an 87-57 loss to Dayton on Nov. 4.

--Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media

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