Thomas scores 25 to lead Texas Southern over Southern 88-66

HOUSTON (AP) Chris Thomas scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Derrick Griffin had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and David Blanks had 11 points and 10 rebounds to lead Texas Southern to an 88-66 win over Southern in each team's Southwestern Athletic Conference opener on Saturday night.

Thomas, Malcolm Riley and Jose Rodriguez each made three 3-pointers for Texas Southern (2-11) - and Orlando Coleman made four - as the Tigers hit 13 from beyond the arc, their most as a team since 2013. Rodriguez finished with 18 points and Coleman 12.

Southern (8-6) shot 36 percent from the field while Texas Southern was an even 50 percent, and the Tigers held a 47-30 rebounding advantage.

Adrian Rogers scored 14 to points to lead six Jaguars who scored at least nine points.