MVSU remains unbeaten in conference play. PV defeats its arch rival. Jags complete big comeback on the road. Braves complete season sweep of JSU. UAPB holds on over A&M.
Mississippi Valley State 70, Alabama State 58
ITTA BENA, Miss. — Kevin Burwell scored a career-high 23 points to lead Mississippi Valley State to its 10th consecutive victory, 70-58 over Alabama State on Saturday in a Southwestern Athletic Conference game.
The Delta Devils, once 1-11, are now 10-0 in the SWAC and 11-11 overall. In beating Alabama State (8-14, 5-5), the Delta Devils led the entire game.
Burwell, the senior point guard, helped lead MVSU to a 29-24 halftime lead. The Delta Devils extended that lead in the second half, outscoring Alabama State 41-34.
Paul Crosby and Terrence Joyner scored 15 points apiece for Mississippi Valley State, with Crosby grabbing seven rebounds and Joyner taking five.
For Alabama State, which lost for the fourth time in the last five games, Ryan Watts came off the Hornets’ bench to score 13 points. Ivory White was the only other Hornet in double figures with 12 points.
Prairie View A&M 73, Texas Southern 67
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Louis Munks scored 23 points, Ryan Gesiakowski tied a career high with 21, and Prairie View A&M beat Texas Southern 73-67 in a key Southwestern Conference matchup Saturday night.
Gesiakowski was 5 of 11 from 3-point range, while Munks was 3 of 5. Demondre Chapman added 13 points for the Panthers (10-13, 6-4), who pulled into a tie with the Tigers (7-15, 6-4) for third in the conference standings.
Omar Strong scored 19 points, including six 3-pointers, off the bench to lead Texas Southern, which was 10 of 20 on 3-pointers but just 14 of 35 inside the arc.
Prairie View took the lead in the opening minutes and never relinquished it. The Panthers led 40-24 at halftime behind 56 percent shooting in the first half.
A Strong 3-pointer with 4:09 to play got the Tigers within 59-56, but back-to-back Gesiakowski baskets and a Chapman layup put the game away.
Southern 57, Grambling 53
GRAMBLING, La. — Jameel Grace scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half and Southern rallied past Grambling State 57-53 on Saturday night. GSU scored the first 16 points of the game before Southern came back.
The Jaguars (12-11, 8-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) shot 54.2 percent from the field (13 of 24) in the second half, after starting with a 21.7-percent performance (5 of 23) in the first.
Southern scored 18 of its 22 points in the paint in the second half.
Grambling State extended its 31-21 halftime lead to 33-23 less than 2 minutes into the second half. Southern then scored 13 unanswered to go up 36-33 on Frerick Coleman’s dunk with 15:30 to play.
The Tigers (3-16, 3-6) would take their next lead, 52-51, with 3:51 remaining, before missing all four of their field goals and going 1 of 3 from the free-throw line the rest of the way.
Quincy Roberts led Grambling State with 27 points.
Alcorn State 57, Jackson State 46
JACKSON, Miss. — KeDorian Sullivan scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots as Alcorn State defeated Jackson State 57-46 Saturday night.
Sullivan scored on a dunk and a layup to start a 16-3 second-half run that gave the Braves (6-16, 3-7 Southwestern Athletic Conference) a 43-26 lead with 7:22 remaining.
Alcorn State never trailed, though the game was tied twice in the first half.
Both teams struggled in the opening half. Alcorn State shot 30.8 percent (8 of 26) and Jackson State (5-17, 3-7) only 20.7 percent, with the Braves leading 21-13 at intermission.
Alcorn State, which beat Jackson State 63-60 on Jan. 7, shot 50 percent (11 of 22) in the second half to the Tigers’ 38.5 percent (10 of 26).
Xavian Rimmer scored 12 points and Michael Starks 10 for Alcorn State.
Kelsey Howard led Jackson State with 14 points. Derrell Taylor had nine points and 11 rebounds.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 81, Alabama A&M 75
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Daniel Broughton scored 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to lead Arkansas-Pine Bluff past Alabama A&M, 81-75, in Southwestern Athletic Conference play on Saturday.
All five Golden Lions starters scored in double figures as UAPB avenged an earlier loss to the Bulldogs.
UAPB twice built leads as big as 14 points in the second half, but Alabama A&M hung tough behind 20 points from Brandon Ellis.
