Texas Southern Gains A Victory Over Jackson State In A Tense SWAC 'Battle Of The Tigers'

Texas Southern pulls out a huge victory to land in second place in the SWAC.

HOUSTON - Texas Southern (13-14, 11-5 SWAC) utilized their three-point shots, layups, and fast breaks in the game's final six minutes to break away from Jackson State (12-16, 8-7 SWAC). The Tigers earned a crucial 80-70 victory at home, with over 4,500 spectators at HP&E Arena watching the closely contested SWAC match.

PJ Henry and Zytarious Mortle scored 20 points apiece, and Jonathan Cisse added 17 for the Texas Southern Tigers in the win. Grayson Carter contributed with 13 points and eight rebounds. Ken Evans was Jackson State's leading scorer with 19 points and six rebounds on the evening.

March 2, 2024; Texas Southern head basketball coach Johnny Jones overlooks his team at the Jackson State game in HP&E Arena.; Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

Most of the TSU-JSU clash was P.J. Henry matching wits against Ken Evans Jr. Jackson State had a one-point advantage, leading Texas Southern at halftime, 33-32. Evans scored 9 points, and Jordan O'Neal notched 7 points for the visiting JSU Tigers, while Zytarious Mortle led Texas Southern with nine points in the first half. Jackson State outscored TSU 11 to 6 on fast breaks and 10 to 9 from the bench during the period.

The second half started as a see-saw battle until Jackson State led 66-61 off Keiveon Hunt's layup with 6:33 remaining in the contest. Jonathan Cisse nailed a three-pointer to edge within two points at 66-64 at 6:05.   

Following a long media timeout and referee's review to add another personal foul to P.J. Henry's stats, the Texas Southern's bench was agitated. Henry buried a soft shot from outside the arc to recapture the lead at 67-66 with 5:35 showing on the scoreboard.

Jonathan Cisse found Grayson Carter under the basket to take a three-point lead. Next, Ken Evans rebounded a missed P.J. Henry jumpshot and moved the ball to Keionte Cornelius for an easy layup. JSU trailed 69-68 at the 4:02 mark.

Texas Southern got some breathing room by four points when Deon Stroud knocked down a 3-point shot. Following a Jackson State turnover, with 2:02 on the clock, Zytarious Mortle hit another long-range bomb to give TSU the 75-68 lead.

As the foul game started, Keionte Cornelius's layup was Jackson State's final point. However, Henry, Stroud, and Mortle scored five points from the charity line to give Texas Southern the 80-70 victory.