LORMAN (AP) — Everyone in the Southwestern Athletic Conference is chasing first-place Texas Southern, but Alcorn State took a big step in gaining some ground on Saturday.

Reginal Johnson scored 20 points and Alcorn dominated from behind the arc to defeat Southern University 74-64 for its fourth consecutive win.

Alcorn (9-11, 6-3 SWAC) moved into sole possession of second place in the conference by beating Southern (9-13, 5-4). Both teams trail Texas Southern, which was 6-1 in SWAC play heading into Saturday’s game against Alabama State.

Alcorn lost earlier this season to Texas Southern at home, and will play them in Houston on March 2.

“I’m really pleased with being 6-3 after the first half of conference play. I thought we had a chance going in to be 7-2 at this point but I’m pleased with where we are,” Alcorn coach Montez Robinson said. “We have some guys bruised up and the bench is playing really well. We have guys coming in and sustaining what the starters are doing. I’m really happy with the effort everyone’s been giving.”

A.J. Mosby and Marquis Vance hit 3-pointers as the Braves scored the last four points of the first half to open a 44-30 lead. The margin was 20 with 8:46 to play before the Jaguars scored six straight, and another 7-0 burst cut it to 71-64 with 1:07 remaining.

DeAndre Davis hit a free throw and a layup in the final minute to provide the final margin of victory.
Vance finished with 13 points and Mosby 12. Davis had 10 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.
Shawn Prudhomme had 16 points for Southern, which had five players in double figures but only got six points from its reserves.

The Braves shot 42 percent and Southern 41 percent, but Alcorn State finished 12-of-28 on 3-pointers while the Jags missed their first 11 before Prudhomme hit two late.

Johnson and Vance, both 6-foot-8 forwards, hit four of the Braves’ 3-pointers.

“I let all of my big guys shoot from the outside. In fact, they’re some of my better shooters on the team. They don’t take a lot of them, but they take the good percentage ones. I give them the freedom to do that,” Robinson said.

Alcorn also made 12 of 15 from the free throw line while Southern went 8 of 16.

“We’ve been shooting a lot of them at practice,” Robinson said of the team’s foul shooting. “Our guys are really taking their time and concentrating on making them. We were perfect from the line for a while in this game, but 80 percent isn’t bad obviously. I really thought at the start of the year that we could be a 75 percent team because we have great shooters.”

Jackson State 83, Mississippi Valley State 68

Paris Collins made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points in his return from a broken bone in his shooting hand as Jackson State beat Mississippi Valley State.

Collins hit a 3-pionter with 3:28 to go for his 23rd point and a 76-60 lead. He finished 10-of-19 from the floor and led the Tigers with six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Jackson State hit eight 3-pointers in nine trips down the floor for a 60-40 lead and cruised.
The Tigers finished 14-for-30 from 3-point range as they snapped a four-game losing streak.

Maurice Rivers added 10 points for Jackson State (8-13, 4-4 SWAC) before fouling out. Collins had 12 points in the first half to help Jackson State to a 33-30 lead after MVSU turned it over 10 times.

Ta’Jay Henry, the reigning SWAC player of the week, had 20 points and 12 rebounds for Mississippi Valley State (3-18, 3-5).

Marcus Romain scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half and the Delta Devils outrebounded JSU 37-26.

Romain and Henry were the only Mississippi Valley State players to score in double figures.

Mississippi Valley State was coming off an upset of first-place Texas Southern, but lost for the third time in four games.