Alcorn State had two victories over Texas Southern in the regular season, but the SWAC Tournament is a different story. Texas Southern came away with a 87-62 win over Alcorn State, earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior guard PJ Henry spearheaded the Tiger attack early, finishing with 15 points on 6-11 shooting. John Walker III was the leading scorer with an efficient 17 points on 6-8 shooting in just 20 minutes.
Efficiency was the theme of the night for Texas Southern. The Tigers shot 55 percent from the floor, 44 percent from three and 71 percent from the free throw line.
Alcorn State struggled from the field shooting 28 percent. It was particularly bad in the second half when the Braves went 6-34, shooting just 17 percent. The Braves were led by Justin Thomas who finished with 18 points.
Texas Southern held a slim 42-38 lead at the half before boat racing Alcorn in the second half. TSU outscored the Braves 45-24 in the final 20 minutes.
With back to back championships now on their resume, the Tigers will return to the NCAA Tournament. They will find out their destination on Sunday during the NCAA selection show.
The season isn’t over for Alcorn State either. By virtue of being the regular season champion in the SWAC and not winning the tournament, it will receive an automatic bid to the NIT Tournament. The NIT selection show is Sunday night after the NCAA reveals its bracket.