Box Score JACKSON – A Jeremiah Bozeman steal and a fast-break bucket from Venjie Wallis with 1:46 remaining in the second half broke a 54-54 tie and Jackson State finished off Southern 64-58 Monday evening in Southwestern Athletic Conference action.
 
JSU improves to 6-11 overall, but most importantly held serve at home and completed the weekend with a pair of SWAC wins and improved to 3-1 in the conference. Southern falls to 1-15 overall and 0-4 in conference play.
 
With 6:53 remaining in the second half and trailing by nine points, Wallis converted a layup to start a 17-6 run that lasted nearly five minutes.
 
The Tigers' played suffocating defense and forced the Jaguars into 22 turnovers, which the Blue and White promptly turned into 26 points. The Tigers did a great job protecting the basketball and only turned the ball over 10 times.
 
Wallis dropped a game-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. The junior also added six free throws and hauled in seven rebounds.
 
Senior Chris Howell made his presence felt inside the paint and scored 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. The Milwaukee native also added four boards.
 
Jontrell Walker, whose role is to come off the bench and provide instant offense, added 12 points and found his way to the free-throw line, converting 6-of-8 attempts.
 
For the game JSU shot 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field.
 
The Tigers return to the hardwood Friday at Prairie View A&M and play Monday at Texas Southern, which will be aired on ESPNU.