PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS – The Jackson State men's basketball team never trailed on the road in a determined 59-53 win at Prairie View A&M in a live nationally televised game on ESPNU.
Terence Lewis II (18 points, 13 rebounds) and Jayveous McKinnis (13 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles, and Jonas James scored 13 points with four assists as Jackson State (9-18 overall, 7-9 SWAC) posted an important victory for seeding in the upcoming Cricket SWAC Tournament.
"The thing with this team is everyone thought we had given up on the season," said JSU head coach Wayne Brent. "The Alcorn loss hurt, and we could have easily given up. The injuries we sustained and the adversity we've been through didn't stop us. It just showed the character of this team. They won't stop playing. They're going to keep fighting. We went into this game knowing that the winner of this game could get seventh place instead of eighth place. We've got to finish off these two at home, but I'm just so proud for our guys to fight to get a game on the road that no one said they could get."
Jackson State never trailed in the contest, and was clutch when it counted. The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field in the second half (13-of-26), including three of seven from three-point range, and made all five free throw attempts.
With a 25-19 lead at the half, JSU pushed the lead to 10 at 37-27 on a James' shot in the paint with just under 14 minutes to play.
Following a Panthers' run to tie the game at 39-apiece with just over nine minutes remaining, the Tigers answered with a run of their own.
An 11-0 run, capped by a James' three-pointer, gave JSU a 50-39 lead with 5:21 remaining. PV responded with a late run, twice cutting the Tigers' lead to two, the last at 55-53 with 1:50 remaining.
After several empty trips late by both teams, Lewis sealed the Tigers' win with four free throws in the final nine seconds.
Jackson State will play its final two home games of the regular season Thursday hosting Arkansas Pine Bluff at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday against Mississippi Valley State at 5:30 p.m. in the Williams Athletics and Assembly Center.
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