As playoff seedings begin to slowly come into focus, Southern University picked up another important win on Monday night. The Jaguars (14-9,8-2 SWAC) led virtually the entire night en route to a 72-58 victory over Alabama State (7-17,5-6 SWAC) at home. Southern now sits alone atop the SWAC standings with a full game lead over Texas Southern, Florida A&M, Grambling and Alcorn State.
Southern led by double digits for the entire second half, with a trio of players scoring in double figures. Terrell Williams Jr. scored 17 with Brion Whitley chipping in 15 and Tyrone Lyons adding 11 points.
The Jaguars outscored the Hornets 14-8 over the last five minutes of the first half, turning a two possession game into an eleven point lead at the break.
| SCHOOL | CONF | CPCT. | OVERALL | PCT. | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern | 9-2 | 0.818 | 14-9 | 0.609 | W3 |
| Texas Southern | 8-3 | 0.727 | 10-10 | 0.500 | W5 |
| Florida A&M | 8-3 | 0.727 | 10-12 | 0.455 | W1 |
| Grambling State | 8-3 | 0.727 | 10-13 | 0.435 | W1 |
| Alcorn State | 8-3 | 0.727 | 9-14 | 0.391 | W2 |
| Alabama State | 5-6 | 0.455 | 6-17 | 0.261 | L1 |
| Jackson State | 4-7 | 0.364 | 6-16 | 0.273 | W2 |
| Bethune-Cookman | 4-7 | 0.364 | 6-17 | 0.261 | L1 |
| Alabama A&M | 4-7 | 0.364 | 5-16 | 0.238 | L2 |
| Prairie View A&M | 4-7 | 0.364 | 4-15 | 0.211 | L3 |
| Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 3-8 | 0.273 | 5-19 | 0.208 | L2 |
| Mississippi Valley State | 1-10 | 0.091 | 1-20 | 0.048 | L8 |
Didn’t look back after halftime
Alabama State never threatened in the second half as Southern led by as many twenty points as it rolled on to another win.
Southern had a plus six advantage in points off turnovers and claimed a 22-8 advantage in second chance points. The Southern bench outscored Alabama State by 12, and points in the paint was a plus 16 advantage for the Jaguars.
Southern travels to Prairie View A&M on Saturday to take on a slumping Panther team that was expected to contend for the regular season championship. Alabama State returns home for a Saturday matchup against UAPB.