ATLANTA, Ga. | Daeshun Ruffin led three players in double figures as Jackson State advanced to the championship game of the 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournaments presented by Buick with a 71-50 victory over No. 3 seed Bethune-Cookman on Friday night.

Ruffin finished the night with 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor including a pair of three-pointers. He also connected on 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed four rebounds and three assists, while Jayme Mitchell Jr. added 16 points off the bench hitting 6-of-7 from the floor including four three-pointers.

Shannon Grant finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Romelle Mansel grabbed nine rebounds (eight points). Keiveon Hunt finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and four assists for Jackson State (16-17).

Jackson State finished the night shooting 45.8 (22-of-48) percent from the floor and 61.5 (8-of-13) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 82.6 (19-of-23) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman shot 25.3 (20-of-79) percent from the floor and 11.5 (3-of-26) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 70.0 (7-of-10) percent from the free throw line.

Inside the Numbers
Jackson State shot 39.3 (11-of-28) percent from the floor and 71.4 (5-of-7) percent from beyond the arc. They also connected on all eight of their free throws and forced five Bethune-Cookman turnovers. Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot 23.7 (9-of-36) percent from the floor and 11.1 (2-of-18) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 80.0 (4-of-5) percent from the free throw line.

The Tigers shot 55.0 (11-of-20) percent from the floor in the second half and 50.0 (3-of-6) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 73.3 (11-of-15) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman finished the second half shooting 26.8 (11-of-41) percent from the floor and 12.5 (1-of-8) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 60.0 (3-of-5) percent from the free throw line.

Bethune-Cookman won the rebounding battle 44-43.

Game Notes

• Jackson State started the same lineup for the 15th time this season (11-3), and led for the 15th time this season - including the second consecutive time in the tournament.
• Jackson State is in search of its first conference championship since 2007, and the last time the Tigers won the championship they entered as the No. 2 seed.

Up Next
Jackson State will face Alabama State in the SWAC Championship game on Saturday with a 9:30 p.m. (ET) tip time on ESPNU.

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