Southern Holds Off Texas Southern To Stay On Top Of The SWAC

Originally posted on HBCUs on SI | By Kyle Mosley | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 12:16 AM ET

The Southern University Jaguars (17-9, 12-1 SWAC) secured a crucial 66-57 victory in Baton Rouge after fending off a tense rally by Texas Southern (11-15, 8-5 SWAC) and moving closer to the regular season conference title. Southern swept the season series against the Tigers.

Jaguars Michael Jacobs lead all scorers with 20 points, adding two rebounds and a pair of assists. Jordan Johnson contributed 11 points and three rebounds.

Southern recorded shooting percentages of 42.6% overall, 29.4% from three-point range, and 67.7% from the free throw line. The Jaguars out-rebounded TSU 35-24 and dominated the paint, scoring 26 to 18 points.

After leading 38-26 at halftime, the Jaguars' lead ballooned to 19 points at one point in the second half. After calling for a timeout, Johnny Jones deployed a full-court press defense. The strategy created 16 Southern turnovers, the most in a half this season by the Jags.

The Tigers dwindled the lead to 3 points, 51-48, with 8:39 remaining in the game.

Coach Kevin Johnson countered Coach Jones' maneuver with a zone defense, which halted TSU's scoring and helped regain momentum.

Texas Southern got within four points of Southern, but the Jaguars controlled the tempo as Kenny Hunter sat on the bench with four fouls.

The game became intense as both teams aggressively pursued the ball, leading to hard fouls and turnovers.

The momentum shifted for TSU when the referees issued a technical foul to Duane Posey for taunting Cam Amboree after a personal foul was called under the basket. Amboree made one of two free throws to give Southern a 59-53 lead.

Credit the Jaguars for maintaining their composure for the remainder of the game. They scored seven additional points, securing a 66-57 victory over a relentless Texas Southern team.

The Tigers' leading scorer was an active Kolby Granger with 16 points, seven rebounds, six steals, and four assists in the loss. Kavion McClain supported Granger with 12 points, eight assists, and two rebounds. Duane Posey recorded 9 points, and Zytarious Mortle notched seven.

Texas Southern registered 33.9% shooting from the field, 11.8% from beyond the arc, and 73.9% from the free-throw line.

Both squads had 71 possessions in the contentious clash of SWAC Cats!