Tigers fall 92-86 in SWAC Tournament championship game

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Tigers of Texas Southern University were denied a third consecutive Toyota Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament championship Saturday as they fell 92-86 to Prairie View A&M.
 
Jalyn Patterson scored 24 points and handed out five assists to lead four TSU players scoring in double-figures. Devocio Butler added 18 points for TSU (21-13), while Tyrik Armstrong chipped in 16 points and five assists.
 
Jeremy Combs recorded his 12th double-double of the season for the Tigers, scoring 13 points and securing 10 rebounds.
 
Gary Blackston and Dennis Jones led Prairie View A&M with 17 points apiece.
 
In a game that featured 13 ties and 15 lead changes, Prairie View A&M pulled away in the final minute by making seven of their last eight free throws. A TSU turnover with 25 seconds remaining while the Tigers were down by two points allowed the Panthers to seal the game at the free throw line.
 
Prior to the turnover, TSU successfully tied the game twice in the final two minutes. Patterson hit a layup through traffic with 1:40 remaining to tie the game at 83, and then a minute later Trayvon Reed had a putback to tie the game at 85-85; Reed had eight points and eight rebounds Saturday.
 
Turnovers made the difference in the game, as the Tigers turned the ball over 24 times, compared to 13 turnovers for Prairie View A&M. The difference in turnovers led to PVAMU enjoying a 30-20 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
The Tigers got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 15-4 lead. TSU led by as many as 13 points midway through the first half, but a 19-4 run by Prairie View A&M gave the Panthers a 26-24 lead with 8:19 left to play in the period.
 
TSU would also erase its opponents’ double-digit lead later in the game. The Panthers led by 10 with 18:20 left in the second half, but that was met with a 12-2 Tiger run that was capped with an Armstrong layup with 14:27 remaining in the game to tie the score at 53-53.
 
Eden Ewing chipped in six points and six rebounds for the Tigers.
 
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field, with the Tigers shooting 52.5 percent (31 of 59) from the floor. Meanwhile, the teams both struggled from the free throw line, with the Tigers making 60 percent (18 of 30) of their shots. PVAMU shot 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the line.