Tigers roll past Alcorn State for 11th consecutive victory

HOUSTON – The Tigers of Texas Southern University claimed their 11th consecutive victory Thursday with an emphatic 99-72 win over visiting Alcorn State.
 
At TSU’s H&PE Arena, five different Tigers scored in double-figures as Texas Southern (19-11, 14-3 SWAC) officially clinched the No. 2 seed into the postseason Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers will host a first-round game Tuesday.
 
Jeremy Combs led the Tigers with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Eden Ewing added 17 points for the Tigers, while John Jones chipped in 10 points.
 
The Tigers had plenty of scoring off the bench, as Derrick Bruce and Jalyn Patterson scored 14 points and 12 points, respectively for TSU. Trayvon Reed contributed eight points and six rebounds.
 
TSU’s starting point guard Tyrik Armstrong scored seven points to go along with a season-high 13 assists.
 
Alcorn State’s Maurice Howard scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Braves (10-19), who fell to 6-11 in SWAC play.
 
Thursday’s victory over the visiting Braves was TSU’s 25th consecutive triumph over Alcorn State dating back to 2007.
 
The Tigers started to pull away late in the first half, using a 10-1 run over a two-and-a-half minute span to establish a 43-34 lead with 2:46 left before halftime. The run was ignited by a 3-pointer from Bruce and a 360-degree layup by John Jones that brought the crowd to its feet as the Tigers stretched their lead to 38-33.
 
A 14-2 run early in the second half gave the Tigers their first lead of 20 points. Combs’ jumper with 14:50 remaining in the game gave the Tigers a 68-48 lead; the visiting Braves would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.
 
The Tigers shot better than 50 percent from the field in each half and finished the game shooting 54.7 percent (35 of 64) from the field. TSU was also hitting from 3-point range, as the Tigers made 11 out of 23 of their long-range shots (47.8 percent).
 
Texas Southern returns to action Saturday when they host Southern in the regular-season finale for both teams. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., or approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s game between the two schools.