HOUSTON – The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern University opened play at the Toyota SWAC Tournament with a 70-42 quarterfinal win over Alabama State.
At TSU's H&PE Arena, junior Joyce Kennerson scored a game-high 27 points and moved to second place on Texas Southern's all-time scoring list as the Lady Tigers (19-11) advanced to the semifinal round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference postseason tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Lady Tigers, who entered the postseason tournament as the No. 2-seeded team, will face No. 3-seed Grambling State on Friday at the Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Kennerson, who was named the SWAC's Player of the Year on Monday, reached her milestone with a jumper in the paint with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter that gave her 15 for the game and 1,584 for her career, one more than former Lady Tiger star Keena Williams (1981-85). With a career total of 1,596 points, Kennerson also became the school's all-time scoring leader in the NCAA era.
The only remaining player in front of Kennerson on TSU's women's basketball all-time scoring list is Nerissa Redo, who scored 2,221 points during a four-year career that concluded in the inaugural NAIA women's basketball championship game in 1981. The women's basketball team competed in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) during its first six seasons of existence; the NCAA began sponsoring women's basketball during the 1981-82 season.
Kennerson's all-around play paced the Lady Tigers, as she shot 8-of-16 from the field and made two out of her four 3-point tries while handing out four assists and recording four steals. She was also 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
Kaitlyn Palmer chipped in 10 points and three assists for the Lady Tigers, while Isis Lane scored nine points for TSU. Kenya Pye scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Lady Hornets, who finish their season with a record of 8-22.
After having visited TSU only eight days before, the Lady Hornets gave the host Lady Tigers a tough game for three quarters. Alabama State slowed down the game with a physical defense while holding TSU to 26 percent shooting (7 of 27) in the first half.
The Lady Tigers found their shooting touch in the second half, shooting 70 percent from the field (14 of 20) after the midgame break. TSU went 7-of-10 from the floor in each of the final two quarters.
While ASU was able keep pace with their hosts in the third period, but before the Lady Tigers sprinted away with the contest in the fourth quarter. An 18-2 TSU run between the 9:32 and 3:31 marks stretched a seven-point lead to a 62-39 Lady Tigers advantage.
Camille Mills pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds in addition to scoring two points for TSU.
The tournament win over Alabama State was the second in as many seasons for the Lady Tigers. Last season, TSU defeated the Lady Hornets in the SWAC semifinals en route to the Lady Tigers' first-ever SWAC championship.
Friday's semifinal game against Grambling State will be the first of two TSU games at the Delmar Fieldhouse. The Tiger men will face Prairie View A&M in a semifinal game at the conclusion of the women's 6 p.m. semifinal contest.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
At TSU's H&PE Arena, junior Joyce Kennerson scored a game-high 27 points and moved to second place on Texas Southern's all-time scoring list as the Lady Tigers (19-11) advanced to the semifinal round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference postseason tournament for the third consecutive year.
The Lady Tigers, who entered the postseason tournament as the No. 2-seeded team, will face No. 3-seed Grambling State on Friday at the Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Kennerson, who was named the SWAC's Player of the Year on Monday, reached her milestone with a jumper in the paint with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter that gave her 15 for the game and 1,584 for her career, one more than former Lady Tiger star Keena Williams (1981-85). With a career total of 1,596 points, Kennerson also became the school's all-time scoring leader in the NCAA era.
The only remaining player in front of Kennerson on TSU's women's basketball all-time scoring list is Nerissa Redo, who scored 2,221 points during a four-year career that concluded in the inaugural NAIA women's basketball championship game in 1981. The women's basketball team competed in the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) during its first six seasons of existence; the NCAA began sponsoring women's basketball during the 1981-82 season.
Kennerson's all-around play paced the Lady Tigers, as she shot 8-of-16 from the field and made two out of her four 3-point tries while handing out four assists and recording four steals. She was also 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
Kaitlyn Palmer chipped in 10 points and three assists for the Lady Tigers, while Isis Lane scored nine points for TSU. Kenya Pye scored 11 points off the bench to lead the Lady Hornets, who finish their season with a record of 8-22.
After having visited TSU only eight days before, the Lady Hornets gave the host Lady Tigers a tough game for three quarters. Alabama State slowed down the game with a physical defense while holding TSU to 26 percent shooting (7 of 27) in the first half.
The Lady Tigers found their shooting touch in the second half, shooting 70 percent from the field (14 of 20) after the midgame break. TSU went 7-of-10 from the floor in each of the final two quarters.
While ASU was able keep pace with their hosts in the third period, but before the Lady Tigers sprinted away with the contest in the fourth quarter. An 18-2 TSU run between the 9:32 and 3:31 marks stretched a seven-point lead to a 62-39 Lady Tigers advantage.
Camille Mills pulled in a team-high 10 rebounds in addition to scoring two points for TSU.
The tournament win over Alabama State was the second in as many seasons for the Lady Tigers. Last season, TSU defeated the Lady Hornets in the SWAC semifinals en route to the Lady Tigers' first-ever SWAC championship.
Friday's semifinal game against Grambling State will be the first of two TSU games at the Delmar Fieldhouse. The Tiger men will face Prairie View A&M in a semifinal game at the conclusion of the women's 6 p.m. semifinal contest.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics