Tigers cruise to 83-59 win over Alabama State

HOUSTON – The Tigers of Texas Southern University led from start to finish Saturday as they cruised to an 83-59 win over visiting Alabama State.
 
Jeremy Combs and Justin Hopkins both recorded double-doubles for the Tigers (10-11), who improved to 5-3 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with the win.
 
Combs scored 29 points and pulled in 11 rebounds – eight off the offensive glass – in leading the Tigers to victory. He shot 12-of-18 from the field in the win.
 
Meanwhile, Hopkins came off the bench to score 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting in addition to pulling in 10 rebounds for Texas Southern.
 
Leon Daniels came off Alabama State’s bench to score 16 points for the Hornets (8-11, 6-2 SWAC).
 
The win was TSU’s 13th consecutive triumph over Alabama State dating back to 2014. It also kept Texas Southern in a third-place tie with Jackson State in the SWAC standings. Second-place Alabama State continued to struggle away from home, as they fell to 2-9 in games away from Montgomery.
 
TSU began to pull away from its guests midway through the first half by scoring 10 unanswered points between the 9:25 and 5:36 marks of the period. Combs’ dunk and subsequent free throw capped the run and stretched the Tiger lead to 36-21.
 
The Tigers really put the game out of reach in the early in the second half by scoring 17 unanswered points between the 18:27 and 11:32 marks to stretch their lead to 63-35.
 
John Jones scored 13 points for the Tigers, shooting 3-of-6 from 3-point range for the evening. The sophomore from Baton Rouge, La., has shot 46 percent (16 of 35) from 3-point range at home this season.
 
Eden Ewing chipped in 10 points for Texas Southern on 5-of-6 shooting.
 
The Tigers return to action Monday when they host Alabama A&M to conclude the first round of SWAC play. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.