Feb. 28, 2011

With Jackson State’s loss Monday, Texas Southern captured the regular season SWAC title despite losing at Alabama State. The race for the No. 2 seed tightened up as Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M both scored important victories heading into the final week of the season.

PINE BLUFF, Ark. -- Savalace Townsend scored 21 points and Arkansas-Pine Bluff defeated Jackson State 62-56 on Monday night.

Townsend's layup with 3:55 left gave the Golden Lions (7-22, 7-10 SWAC) the lead for good at 51-50. He scored 16 of his 21 points after halftime, when Pine Bluff trailed 29-24.

Allen Smith had 13 points and Terrell Kennedy 12 for Pine Bluff.

Jenirro Bush led Jackson State (15-13, 11-5) with 16 points and Grant Maxey scored 12. The Tigers shot 32 percent from the field while the Golden Lions made 40 percent of their shots.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Tramayne Moorer scored 14 points and Alabama State defeated Texas Southern 60-48 on Monday night, its sixth win in a row and seventh out of 10.

The Hornets (13-16, 10-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) led 35-12 at halftime and stretched their lead to as many as 26 points midway through the second.

Alabama State held the Tigers (16-11, 14-2) to just 4-of-18 shooting in the first half, and forced 14 turnovers leading 18 points. The Hornets had eight steals in the first half.

Alabama State scored 22 points off 17 turnovers in the game and finished with 11 steals, including four by Tramaine Butler.

Kenderek Washington added 12 points and Ivory White 10 for the Hornets, who outrebounded Texas Southern 34-27 and outscored the conference leader in the paint 30-19.

Harrison Smith scored 17 points for the Tigers, who had won eight straight and 13 out of 14.

ITTA BENA, Miss. -- Paul Crosby scored 14 points and Orlando Smith had a double-double as Mississippi Valley State defeated Grambling State 66-63 in overtime on Monday night.

Tied at 57 with 1:17 remaining, the Delta Devils (12-18, 11-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) scored four straight. Falando Jones had a three point play and Kevin Burwell made a free throw to give MVSU the lead for good, 61-57, with 20 seconds left.

The Tigers would pull within one, 61-60, but the Delta Devils made 5 of 6 free throws the rest of the way to seal it.

MVSU scored 16 points off 13 turnovers, and got three of those points off three turnovers in overtime. The Delta Devils committed 14 turnovers, all in regulation.

Smith had 11 points and 12 rebounds for MVSU and Cor-J Cox added 11 points off the bench.

Lance Feurtado scored 18 points for the Tigers (8-20, 6-10), who ended regulation on a 5-0 run.

NORMAL, Ala. -- Casey Cantey scored 19 points and Alabama A&M took control early in the second half and defeated Prairie View A&M 63-58 Monday night.

After trailing 34-33 at halftime, the Bulldogs (13-12, 10-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) began the second half with a 19-9 run, including seven points by Cantey, to lead 52-43 with 9:14 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Trant Simpson brought the Panthers (8-21, 5-11) within four, 60-56, with 2:12 left, but they got no closer.

Alabama A&M made 45.5 percent (10 of 22) of its shots in the second half to 30 percent (9 of 30) for the Panthers.

Prairie View's Michael Griffin scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, when the Panthers led by as many as six points. Simpson also finished with 17 points for Prairie View and Duwan Kornegay got all 10 of his in the first half.

DeMarquelle Tabb had 13 points and eight rebounds for Alabama A&M.