Tigers Ride Big Second Half Run To Win 3rd Straight

Texas Southern used a 25-8 run to open the second half as they upped its winning streak to three games after defeating Alabama A&M 66-49 Monday night inside the H&PE Arena.

TSU jumped out to an early 13-5 lead behind the strength of a trio of three-pointers as Jordan Gilliam hit two. Alabama A&M closed to within 13-10 after scoring the next five points which would be the most action in the half as the game came to a crawl after that. TSU outscored AAMU 12-11 over the final 9:45 but it was a struggle as the Tigers only shot 4-of-18 from the field while committing seven turnovers. Defensively, TSU overcame its offensive struggles by holding AAMU to 5-of-18 shooting while forcing four turnovers as TSU would claim a 24-20 halftime lead.

AAMU’s EJ Williams opened the second half with a basket but John Walker III scored off a putback on the ensuing possession for a 26-22 advantage. An AAMU turnover led to a Galen Alexander steal and basket but AAMU answered with a pair of free throws from Jalen Johnson. From that point, TSU went into overdrive as they turned the tempo up and went on a 25-8 run over the next 8:53 to put the game in the bag. During the run, Michael Weathers led the charge with 10 points as TSU shot 10-for-19 overall and was 4-of-8 from the three-point line along with three steals.

Unlike Saturday’s game, which saw Alabama State nearly rally back from a 20-point deficit, TSU made sure the comeback door remained shut with a lock on it as AAMU would draw no closer than 12 points the remainder of the way. With the win, TSU has won 15 straight over AAMU and 26 of the past 27 match-ups.

Gilliam led TSU with 15 points and five rebounds while Weathers followed with 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. John Walker III finished with nine points and nine rebounds while Yahuza Rasas added nine boards.

TSU is back in action Saturday evening against Prairie View A&M. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. inside the H&PE Arena. Individual tickets will not be sold for Saturday’s game.