MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Jackson State remained unbeaten in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game, defeating Alabama State 75-64 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on Saturday night.

Jackson State (3-12, 2-0 SWAC) trailed for just three minutes, running out to 13-point lead late in the first half. Alabama State (4-15, 1-2 SWAC), who dropped its championship banner prior to tip, jumped on top 3-2 before Jackson State put last season in the rear view mirror with a 13-0 run over a span of three minutes to take a 15-3 lead with 13:49 to play in the opening half.

Daeshun Ruffin led Jackson State with 36 points, nine rebounds and five assists. He also added four steals in the win. The senior guard finished the night shooting 45.0 (9-of-20) percent shooting from the floor and connected on 94.7 (18-of-19) percent from the free throw line. He scored 30 or more points for the third time this season and the third time in the last six games, while also scoring in double figures for the 12th time this season.

Meanwhile, Tamarion Hoover came off the bench to score 16 points with four three-pointers, while Jayme Mitchell Jr. scored 12 points in return to Montgomery. Dionjahe Thomas led all players with 10 rebounds, the first time this season in double-digit rebounds for the redshirt junior. The win is also the fourth all-time for Mo Williams over the Hornets.

Jackson State finished the night shooting 36.2 (21-of-58) percent from the floor and 26.3 (5-of-19) percent from beyond the arc. They also finished the night shooting 87.5 (28-of-32) percent from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Alabama State finished the night shooting 32.9 (24-of-73) percent from the floor and 9.1 (2-of-22) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 66.7 (14-of-21) percent from the free throw line.

Tyler Byrd led three Alabama State players in double figures with 18 points.

Inside the Numbers
Jackson State finished the first half shooting 36.7 (11-of-30) percent from the floor and 22.2 (2-of-9) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 81.3 (13-of-16) percent from the free throw line, while holding Alabama State to 27.8 (10-of-36) percent from the floor and just 9.1 (1-of-11) percent from beyond the arc in the first half. Alabama State also shot 75.0 (6-of-8) percent from the free throw line.

Jackson State assisted on six of its 11 shots made in the first half, including three from Ruffin. He also added six of the 21 rebounds for Jackson State in the opening half. The Tigers led for most of the first half, trailing for just 3:15 while grabbing a 13-point lead (their biggest of the half) with 43 seconds remaining in the opening half.

The second half was much the same as Jackson State finished the half shooting 35.7 (10-of-28) percent from the floor and 30.0 (3-of-10) percent from beyond the arc. They also shot 93.8 (15-of-16) percent from the free throw line, and held Alabama State to 37.8 (14-of-37) percent from the floor and 9.1 (1-of-11) percent from beyond the arc. They also finished the second half shooting 61.5 (8-of-13) percent from the free throw line.

Jackson State outscored Alabama State 20-12 on points off turnovers, while also outscoring the Hornets 16-13 on fast break points.

Up Next
The Tigers continue their two-game road swing through Alabama on Monday night in Huntsville against Alabama A&M.

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