Jackson, Miss. - The Jackson State men's hoops team will put their three-game winning streak and unblemished Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) record on the line as they welcome the Panthers of Prairie View A&M to the Williams Athletics & Assembly Center.

On Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Ken Evans Jr., who leads the Tigers (7-9, 3-0 SWAC), averaging 18.6 points per game, will take on Prairie View A&M (6-10, 1-2 SWAC). Evans currently ranks third in the SWAC in scoring. 

Prairie View A&M comes into the game with a 1-2 mark in SWAC play but has lost two of its last three games. In games played at the Williams Athletics & Assembly Center, the Tigers have won three of the last five games played in Jackson. The Panthers average 69.9 points per game and 32.4 rebounds per game. They are currently second in the SWAC in field goal percentage and third in steals. 

Jackson State vs. Prairie View A&M

• This will be the 47th meeting between the Tigers and the Panthers on the hardwood. 
• Jackson State leads the all-time series 64-29, while the Tigers are 3-2 in the last five meetings in Jackson, including a 61-57 win on Feb. 27, 2023. 
• Prairie View A&M comes into the game with a 1-2 mark in SWAC play and a win over Mississippi Valley State The Panthers' last win at Jackson State came on Jan. 20, 2020. 
• PVAM's last game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was postponed. 
• Jackson State is just 9-11 in the last 20 meetings and 5-3 in games played at the Williams Athletics & Assembly Center over that same span. 
• The Tigers are currently atop the SWAC standings at 3-0, and this will be just their second game at home this season after playing their first 13 games on the road. 

Last Meeting | Tigers 50, Panthers 59

• The Jackson State men's basketball team got a 16-point showing from the bench but fell 59-50 to the Prairie View A&M Panthers on Saturday.
• Chase Adams led the Tigers (4-13, 3-1) with eight points, six assists, and two steals. Ken Evans also tallied 14 points and two steals, and Coltie Young helped with eight and two blocks.
• The Jackson State defense forced 19 Prairie View A&M turnovers while committing 14. Those takeaways turned into 18 points on the other end of the floor. Adams' two steals led the way individually for the Tigers.
• Jackson State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 26-14 heading into halftime.
• Prairie View A&M kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 41-26 advantage before Jackson State went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Adams' jumper, to shrink the deficit to 41-34 with 10:18 to go in the contest. Prairie View A&M responded and outscored the Tigers, ending the game with a final score of 59-50. Jackson State took care of business in the paint, recording 18 of its 36 points in the lane.

Scouting the Panthers  

• Under the direction of Byron Smith, who is in his ninth season leading Prairie View A&M, the Panthers come into the contest with a 6-10 overall record and a 1-2 mark in SWAC play. 
• The Panthers' last game against UAPB was postponed. 
• In the contest, PVAM averages 69.9 points per game and 32.4 rebounds. They are second in the SWAC in field goal percentage, third in steals, and fifth in scoring margin. 
• Charles Smith IV and Javontae Hopkins are leading them. Smith is averaging 13.7 points per game, and Hopkins is averaging 11.4.
• Brian Myles leads the Panthers in rebounding, averaging 6.9 per game, which is good enough to rank third in the SWAC, and he leads the SWAC in defensive rebounding.  

Evans Chasing 1000 Points

• Ken Evans Jr. leads the Tigers, averaging 18.6 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from the floor and beyond the 3-point arc.  
• Evans saw his streak of double-digit scoring end after scoring just six points against Houston in early December. He has now scored double figures in each game he has played except two games this season and has scored 20 or more points on eight different occasions, including on the road against ranked Gonzaga.
• Evans has scored 298 points this season and is now just 25 points away from becoming yet another Jackson State great to score at least 1000 points in his career.
• He is third in the SWAC in scoring, seventh in field goal percentage (42.5), ninth in free throw percentage (78.2), and eighth in defensive rebounding (3.81).

Chase is About Sharing 

• Chase Adams is one of the best point guards in the country, and he can play with the best of them. 
• He has recorded 69 assists in the short season and 187 assists in his two years at Jackson State. 
• He is currently averaging 4.3 assists per game. 
• His season-high is eight, and he recorded that against Alcorn State on Saturday, Jan. 6.
• Adams is on pace to crack the top 10 assists leaders list. Marino Walker is 10th with 271 assists.
• Adams is second in the SWAC assist/turnover ratio (2.16) and second in assists (4.3). 

O'Neal Coming into His Own

• O'Neal is in his first season with the Tigers after transferring from Alabama State last season. 
• During his time with the Hornets, he scored 508 points, had 95 blocks, 45 steals, 52 assists, and 390 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the floor. He shot 50 percent from the floor in 2022-23 while at Alabama State. 
• He is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.9 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting over 60 percent from the floor. He scored a career-high 24 points against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 17. 
• O'Neal is just 19 rebounds away from 500 career rebounds.
• He is ninth in the SWAC in rebounding, first in blocked shots (1.5), and sixth in offensive rebounding (2.1).

Tigers in the Paint

• Jackson State averages 27.8 points per game in the paint this season. They have scored 446 total points in the paint and 20 points or more in all games except those against Houston, Gonzaga, and Northwestern. 
• The Tigers scored a season-high 42 points in the paint in a home win over Alcorn State on January 6.  

Last Time Out | Tigers 75, AAMU 67

• The Jackson State men's basketball team out-rebounded the Alabama A&M Bulldogs 39-34 on the way to a 75-67 victory.
• Ken Evans Jr. had 19 points to lead the Tigers (7-9, 3-0), with four players scoring double figures. Jordan O'Neal added 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, and Coltie Young helped with 11 points and six rebounds. Chase Adams scored 10 points for Jackson State to close out those in double figures. 
• Jackson State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 17 boards that led to 17 second-chance points, largely thanks to Zeke Cook's five offensive rebounds.
• Jackson State forced 15 Alabama A&M turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Saturday's game. The Tigers turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor. Keijuan Johnson and Zeke Cook led the way individually, with two steals.
• After jumping out to a 25-22 advantage, Jackson State went on a 5-0 run with 3:33 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Johnson, to increase its lead to 30-22. The Tigers then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 37-27 advantage. Jackson State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 37 points.
• Jackson State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Keionte Cornelius' three, to grow the lead to 63-53 with 4:26 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Tigers still cruised the rest of the way for the 75-67 win. Jackson State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 38 total points. 

2 Dogs 1 Bone

• The Jackson State men's basketball team lives on the 2 Dogs, 1 Bone philosophy. 
• In the words of Coach Mo, "When you have two dogs in a kennel with one bone, the toughest and hungriest dog is going to get that bone."
• The team that works the hardest and puts in the most work will win the battle between the two teams. 
• The Tigers have a championship mindset because they want to be the best team in the SWAC.

Tiger Tails

• Coach Mo is in his third year as head coach and his second at Jackson State, his hometown. Born in Jackson, Miss.
• Williams attended Murrah High School, where he had a successful career, earning him a scholarship to Alabama. 
• In his first year at Jackson State, he went 12-6 in SWAC play despite being picked to finish seventh. 
• Coach Williams is 2-4 all-time against Prairie View A&M and holds a 2-1 record against the Panthers since taking over at Jackson State. 
• For the second year in a row, the Tigers have started the season 3-0 in SWAC, and they are the only undefeated team in the SWAC. 
• The Tigers are third in the SWAC in 3-point field goal percentage (32.6), rebounds (36.5), and rebound margin (-1.5). They are fourth in blocked shots (3.5) and second in offensive rebounds (12.8). 

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