Southern only led by nine points at halftime and hadn’t shot the ball very well from the field.
Then a 12-2 second half run sparked by Calvin Godfrey and Malcom Miller helped Southern cruise to a 68-55 win over Alabama State Monday night in a matchup of the two best teams in the SWAC.
Alabama State (11-7, 5-2) closed to 37-30 early in the second period but Southern extended the lead to 49-32 with 11:48 remaining in regulation.
Godfrey, Southern’s leading scorer throughout the regular season, finished 17 points and 12 rebounds. It was his first double-double in a month.
Miller, who has his best all around game of the young season, chipped in with 18 points, two blocks, three steals and eight rebounds.
Maurice Strong, who led Alabama State with 14 points and nine rebounds, tried to keep the Hornets in the game, but the Jaguars stifling defense held them 27 percent shooting from the field in the second half.
Southern (11-10, 7-1) shot 43 percent from the field and were 13-for- 14 from the foul line.
“This is a big win for us,” Miller said. “For us to play as sloppy as we did and still come out with a win is really big.”
