Jackson St beats Alabama A&M, maintains SWAC position (Mar 02, 2017)

By AP
Published

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) Paris Collins scored 16 points, Yettra Specks added 15, and Jackson State held off Alabama A&M 72-64 on Thursday night.

The win keeps Jackson State (13-17, 9-8) in a three-way tie with Grambling State and Prairie View A&M for fourth place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings with only a game on Saturday against Alabama State remaining.

Those schools which earn top-four seeds host games in the opening round of the conference tourney.

Derek Roscoe finished with 13 points and Janarius Middleton added 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers, which held a 38-31 advantage on the glass including a 16-10 lead in offensive boards.

De'Ederick Petty led Alabama A&M (2-26, 2-15) with 16 points. Adrian Edwards added 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Jackson State closed the first half on a 15-3 run to take a 39-25 lead. A layup by Roscoe followed by a Collins 3 to open the second extended the Tigers' lead to 19.