Day one of the SWAC basketball tournament at the Toyota Center in Houston saw a total of four basketball games which included one mild upset in the men’s bracket. Here is a recap.
Men
Grambling State 84, Jackson State 82
Terry Rose scored 22 points while Chandler Thomas scored 20 points in No. 10 seed Grambling’s first round upset over seventh-seeded Jackson State 84-82. Thomas also hauled in 14 rebounds. Grambling (5-23) will play No. 2 Texas Southern (16-14) Wednesday in the quarterfinals. Jackson State’s season ends with an overall record of 11-20.
Prairie View A&M 79, Mississippi Valley State 63
Eighth-seeded Prairie View A&M had six players to score in double digits, including a 17 point performance off the bench by Demondre Chapman, in a 79-63 win over No.9 seed Mississippi Valley State. The Panthers, 10-22 overall, will play top-seeded Southern Wednesday in the quarterfinals. MVSU ends the season with a record of 9-23.
Below are postgame comments from Prairie View head coach Byron Rimm.
Women
Grambling 83, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 81 (OT)
Joanna Miller’s game high 27 points helped seventh-seeded Grambling to secure an 83-81 overtime win over No. 10 seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Lady Tigers (11-19) will to face No. 2 seed Texas Southern (18-11) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Arkansas-Pine Bluff ends the season with a record of 3-26.
Alabama A&M 64, Alcorn State 62
Alabama A&M and Alcorn State Women are underway #SWACWBB #THESWAC pic.twitter.com/HTWGLzoDf9
— The SWAC (@theswac) March 11, 2014
No. 9 seed Alabama A&M overcame a 12 point deficient in the second half to defeat eighth-seeded Alcorn State 64-62. AAMU’s Brittney Strickland was the game’s top performer finishing with a stat line that included 28 points, six rebounds and six steals. The Lady Bulldogs (6-23) advance to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 seed Southern (19-12) on Wednesday. Alcorn State’s season ends with an overall record of 8-22.
Below are postgame comments from Alabama A&M head coach Semeka Randall.
