Jones helps Texas Southern top Alcorn State in SWAC opener
LOMAN, Miss. (AP) — John Jones buried five 3-pointers and scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures and Texas Southern rolled to an 87-70 victory over Alcorn State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference opener on Saturday night.
Texas Southern fell behind 6-0 early, but Devocio Butler sank a 3-pointer to give the Tigers an 11-9 lead with 16:34 left in the first half and they never trailed again.
Butler finished with 15 points — all in the first half — and five rebounds for Texas Southern (6-8). Jeremy Combs pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists and Jalyn Patterson scored 12 with nine assists. Trayvon Reed came off the bench to score 13 and grab 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double and fifth of the season. Butler was 4 of 4 from beyond the 3-point line to guide the Tigers to a 43-32 lead at halftime.
DeShaw Andrews' layup to open the second half pulled Alcorn State within nine points, but Patterson and Jones hit 3-pointers to cap a 10-0 run and the Tigers cruised from there.
Maurice Howard paced the Braves (4-9) with 18 points and Troymain Crosby scored 17.
