ATLANTA, Ga. | No. 2 seed Jackson State fell to No. 5 seed Alabama State 60-56 in the 2025 Starry SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament presented by Buick championship game at Gateway Center Arena late Saturday night.

Shannon Grant led Jackson State (16-18) with 20 points and nine rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Daeshun Ruffin and Jayme Mitchell Jr. each added nine points. Romelle Mansel grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists for the Tigers.

The Tigers finished the night shooting 37.0 (20-of-54) percent from the floor and 29.4 (5-of-17) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 73.3 (11-of-15) percent from the floor, and outrebounded Alabama State 44-36. Meanwhile, Alabama State (19-15) finished the night shooting 33.8 (22-of-65) percent from the floor and 31.0 (9-of-29) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 63.6 (7-of-11) percent from the free throw line.

Ruffin and Grant were named to the All-Tournament team.

Inside the Numbers
Jackson State finished the first half shooting 33.3 (9-of-27) percent from the floor and 30.0 (3-of-10) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 83.3 (5-of-6) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Alabama State finished the first half shooting 34.4 (11-of-32) percent from the floor and 18.8 (3-of-16) percent from beyond the arc. They also missed their only free throw of the first half.

Jackson State dominated the boards in the first half, grabbing 27-14 with three players (Romelle Mansel, Shannon Grant, and Jayme Mitchell Jr.) grabbing over five in the first half.

The Tigers shot 40.7 (11-of-27) percent from the floor and 28.6 (2-of-7) percent from beyond the arc in the second half. They also shot 66.7 (6-of-9) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Alabama State shot 33.3 (11-of-33) percent from the floor and 46.2 (6-of-13) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 70.0 (7-of-10) percent from the free throw line.

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