Tigers Basketball Rolls to a 75-69 Win Over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
HOUSTON – The texas southern tigers won a hard fought contest over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday bringing the tsu home crowd to their feet with their high level of intensity and a gutsy performance by guard Omar Strong.
Strong hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field as texas southern pulled away in the second half for a critical 75-69 victory over UAPB.
Strong did most of his damage in the second half as he scored 22 points to help the tigers (12-14, 11-2 Southwestern) win their seventh straight game and move a notch closer to sole possession of first place in the leagues' regular season race.
“Omar is a big part of this basketball team,” said TSU head coach Mike Davis. “He plays the game with a lot of passion and he makes everyone around him better.”
TSU scored the first six points after the intermission to take a 38-29 advantage and increased their lead to 13 points when Strong converted a three with 10:34 remaining. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12-14, 11-3) never got closer than five points the remainder of the game.
fred sturdivant had a big double-double for the Tigers with 15 points and 14 rebounds. He brought fans at the arena to their feet with a fast break dunk that helped TSU gain added momentum. Lawrence Johnson-Danner contributed 12 and ray penn tallied 11 as the Tigers got things rolling in the second half of play.
Inside the Numbers
Texas Southern tallied a total of nine points in transition. The Tigers won the battle inside the paint outscoring UAPB 33-28. TSU got 12 second chance points while getting the edge on the glass 35-31.
Up Next
Texas Southern will conclude their two-game home stand with a meeting with Mississippi Valley State on Monday, February 18 at h&pe arena. Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm. Valley enters their meeting with the Tigers after suffering an 80-77 loss at Prairie View A&M.
Tiger Notables
Omar Strong made a three-point basket for the 59th consecutive game which is the current longest active streak in the NCAA.
Fred Sturdivant tallied a double-double and ranks first in swac in blocked shots per game.
The Tigers had a total of four players score in double figures against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
TSU Head Coach Mike Davis needs one more win to reach the 250 career win total.
Texas Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in points scored per game.
Texas Southern Game Notes: