The start of the 2026-2027 season has been defined by several upsets across HBCU athletics, including Jackson State beating Tulane and Fort Valley State earning its first-ever Division I men's basketball win over Florida A&M. Now, another significant upset has happened in the SWAC, this time with Alabama State.

The Hornets were beaten 79-77 by Georgia Gwinnett on Monday evening. Georgia Gwinnett started their program last October and already notched a victory over a men's basketball team that recently made it to March Madness in 2025, before Georgia Gwinnett's team was even in existence.

The game was tight from the start. Alabama State went into halftime leading 34-32 in front of 1,123 fans at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, in a game that would finish with 10 lead changes and six ties. The Hornets' biggest lead of the night was six, at 22-16 midway through the first half, and they never led by more than four after halftime.

Neither team could pull away, but the shooting numbers were already telling a story. Georgia Gwinnett shot 12-of-23 from the field in the first half, while Alabama State shot 12-of-32. The Hornets got extra chances on the glass, and they finished the game with 13 offensive rebounds to Georgia Gwinnett's five.

Alabama State did not go quietly. Georgia Gwinnett led by 11, 75-64, with 2:27 left. The Hornets then went on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 77. Paul McMillan IV scored on a layup, Tre Powell hit a three and a free throw to cut it to 76-70, and McMillan added another layup before Marquintez Dixon's jumper made it 77-74. McMillan's three-pointer tied it at 77.

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But Georgia Gwinnett had the last answer. After Mario Hill Jr. missed a three, Amari Morgan grabbed the offensive rebound and dunked it to make it 79-77. The Hornets had one more possession. Damarion Bonds missed a three with four seconds left, and Dixon's tip-in attempt missed at the buzzer.

Alabama State now looks to rebound as they face off against Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Wednesday