PINE BLUFF, Ark. | Jackson State held off a strong second half surge from UAPB, defeating the Golden Lions 76-69 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action on Thursday night.
Daeshun Ruffin led Jackson State (13-17, 13-4 SWAC) with 20 points and Jayme Mitchell Jr. added 19 off the bench. Romelle Mansel added 12 points and four rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, Doctor Bradley led UAPB with 20 points.
Jackson State finished the night shooting 46.7 (28-for-60) percent from the floor and 33.3 (6-of-18) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 66.7 (14-of-21) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, UAPB shot 51.0 (25-of-49) percent from the floor and 37.5 (9-of-24) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 45.5 (10-of-22) percent from the free throw line.
Inside the Numbers
Jackson State shot 50.0 (15-of-30) percent from the floor and 42.9 (3-of-7) percent from beyond the arc to build a 20-point lead at the break. They also shot 70.0 (7-of-10) percent from the free throw line and outrebounded UAPB 22-8, forcing nine Golden Lion turnovers. Meanwhile, UAPB finished the first half shooting 33.3 (6-of-18) percent from the floor and 25.0 (3-of-12) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 45.5 (5-of-11) percent from the free throw line.
Jackson State played 10 players in the first half with seven scoring including Mitchell with 11 off the bench.
Game Notes
- Jackson State started the same lineup for the 12th time this season and improved to 9-3 with those five on the floor.
- With the win, coupled with a season sweep of Bethune-Cookman, the Tigers wrapped up the number two seed for the upcoming SWAC Basketball Tournament in Atlanta next week.
- Jackson State improved to 8-0 on games featured on the SWAC Digital Network with the win.
Up Next
Jackson State closes out the regular season on Saturday against Mississippi Valley State on the road, and the game will be broadcast by HBCUGO.
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