Texas Southern star ejected as team picks up first win

Texas Southern finally got its first win, but it may have picked up a temporary loss as well.

TxSU beat Southern 78-66 to open SWAC play on New Year’s Day, but things got ugly late as leading scorer Trae Jefferson was ejected for throwing a punch. Head coach Mike Davis, who picked up his 100th win at the school, had to pull his star guard away.

Southern’s Chris Thomas was also ejected as he was hit with a Flagrant Two foul.

Flagrant 2 foul on Southern’s Chris Thomas. He’s tossed. Trae Jefferson with technical foul; and, apparently, he’s been ejected, too. https://t.co/mdjwU2gFph

— Kris M Gardner (@TheHRReview) January 2, 2018

The sophomore guard shook his way towards the basket with just 20 seconds remaining in the game. He was fouled hard and took exception, taking a swing at Thomas.

A couple years ago I imagined what would've happened if AI played college ball at an HBCU. Trae Jefferson, a 5-7 guard for Texas Southern, gave us AI vibes with a 25-7-7 game that ended with an ejection. pic.twitter.com/vyYZI1xzTM

— Steven J. Gaither (@stevenjgaither) January 2, 2018

Jefferson came into the game tied for ninth in the country in scoring with 23.4 points per game. It is possible that both he and Thomas could face reprimand from their schools or the SWAC for what happened.

Real test begins for Tigers

Derrick Bruce led the way for Texas Southern with 28 points, hitting 8 of his 12 attempts from the 3-point line. TxSU started the season 0-13, playing mostly Power Five teams, all on the road during its non-conference schedule. Despite its record, TxSU is predicted to win the SWAC. With performances like Monday’s it’s easy to see why.

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