Tigers edge Braves to earn No. 1 seed in SWAC tournament
Texas Southern was attempting to clinch the SWAC regular-season title with a win over Alcorn State on Thursday night, along with the top seed in next week’s SWAC tournament.
For a great deal of the game, that scenario looked bleak against the Braves. But that was before the Tigers’ Zach Lofton and Kevin Scott took over.
In a game matching the league’s top two teams, TSU came back from a 13-point first-half deficit to earn a 94-88 overtime win over the Braves at the H&PE Arena and secure its third straight regularseason conference title.
“Three championships in a row, that’s big,” said TSU coach Mike Davis, who has won four conference regular-season titles in his five seasons at TSU. “I’m just so happy for our program. It was tight. We knew we were playing for a championship. I just didn’t like the effort we gave the first part of the game.”
In claiming its fifth straight game, TSU (1911, 15-2 SWAC) ended an 11-game winning streak by the Braves (16-12, 134), who received standout performances from Maurice Howard, who had all 14 of his points in the first half, and 6-7, 265-pound Marquis Vance, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Lofton, who fouled out in OT, collected 30 points and seven rebounds, and Scott totaled 17 points.
The Tigers extended their winning streak to five games en route to another SWAC title.
“I’m thinking about the ring,” said Lofton, a 6-3 junior guard. “This was a championship game. It’s not about me. Looking at everybody happy, that’s what it’s all about. We had to grind and got it right.”
Lofton was 13-of-24 from the field in 42 minutes.
TSU guard Demontrae Jefferson played 45 minutes, collecting 17 points and six assists. Jalan McCloud added 15 points for the Tigers.
But Lofton made the biggest plays for the Tigers, who trailed 45-39 at halftime.
“Zach made big buckets when we needed them,” Davis said. “He came through. Every big possession, he was so good down the stretch. Zach is the best player in this league.”
The Tigers had clinched a home game in the first round of the conference tournament Tuesday. The semifinals and final will be at Toyota Center on March 10-11.
Alcorn State is eligible to participate in next week’s SWAC tournament at Toyota Center, but it’s not eligible to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament should the Braves win the conference’s automatic bid.
TSU closes out its regular season Saturday at home against Southern University, but the Tigers aren’t complacent.
“It’s not time to put it in cruise control,” Lofton said.
Alcorn State came out blazing, specifically Howard, a 6-1 freshman guard who hit his first four shots, all 3-pointers. And they weren’t cheap 3-pointers.
A confident Howard was showing his range, much to the anguish of the pro-TSU crowd.
And with Howard draining treys, the Braves built their lead, which reached 13 points.
A 3-pointer by Vance put Alcorn State up 36-23 with 8:30 remaining in the first half.
Howard’s first trey gave the Braves a 19-16 lead. His fourth 3-pointer gave the Braves a 33-23 advantage.