Entering Saturday’s doubleheader at Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center, the Jackson State men’s and women’s basketball teams hadn’t experienced home games on the same day since Feb. 27, when each squad knocked off Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Finally playing back-to-back games on campus after that long hiatus, the Tigers registered another pair of victories, this time against Alcorn State’s men’s and women’s teams.
JSU’s women’s team was coming off eight consecutive road games – the last five defeats against No. 11 Kansas State, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Miami, and No. 10 Texas. But the Tigers had no problem opening Southwestern Athletic Conference play as they began pursuit of a fifth straight league title by routing the Braves, 74-46, on HBCU GO.
Senior Ti’lan Boler, SWAC’s Preseason Player of the Year, had 17 points, while four teammates also scored in double figures. Grad student Angel Jackson, SWAC’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, had three blocks and a game-high 12 rebounds to accompany 10 points. Jackson State’s margin of victory allowed for liberal use of the bench, another potential strength for the Tigers.
“Expectations for this year are to come in and be great,” head coach Tomekia Reed told The Clarion-Ledger earlier this season. “We want to continue to dominate, statistically, our games and opponents. We want to be competitive.”
Aside from a seven-point loss at Miami, the Tigers weren’t very close against opponents during their five-game losing streak. But Alcorn (0-1 overall, 2-10 in SWAC) wasn’t nearly as challenging despite a game-high 21 points from junior Zy’nyia White. The rest of the squad mustered just 25 points. White shot 7 of 16 from the floor (.437), but teammates combined to go 9 of 42 on field goal attempts (.214).
With JSU grad student Daphane White joining Boler and Jackson on the preseason All-SWAC team, the Tigers are predicted to win the league once again. Their next game is Thursday at Alabama State; Alcorn plays again on Thursday at Alabama A&M.
Reed was pleased after the Tigers (6-6, 1-0) started slowly on Saturday. “We always start off a little rusty, but I’m really proud of my team for the effort they pulled through defensively and doing better down the stretch in executing our offense,” she told reporters.
Career-high for JSU’s Coltie Young in nightcap
When the Jackson State men’s basketball team tipped off, it was coming off a season-opening 13-game road trip, including a shocking win at Missouri. The Tigers got comfortable at home Saturday and never trailed Alcorn in the second half as they secured an 88-80 victory on HBCU GO.
JSU junior Coltie Young led all scorers with a season-high 26 points, joined in double figures by senior Jordan O’Neal (19 points) and two other teammates. The Tigers improved to 5-9 overall (1-0 in SWAC); Alcorn (1-13, 0-1) suffered its 13th consecutive defeat.
With league play underway, JSU head coach Mo Williams reflected on the season’s grueling start and expressed gratitude that it’s over.
“We’re traveling, so we’re in the airport all day,” he told WLBT. “We’ve gotta play a game the next day, then obviously we’re in the airport all the next day – either going to the next city or coming home for a day and back on the road.
“It’s mentally draining, physically draining also,” Williams said. “Being in front of our fans, them giving us energy, waking up in our bed game day, going back to our bed game night – it’s just something that we haven’t experienced all year.”
Williams was irked by the SWAC preseason rankings, which predicted a fourth-place finish for JSU and failed to include any Tigers on the all-conference team. Jackson State finished third last season, Williams’ first at the school.
“We have a fire lit under us,” Williams told The Clarion-Ledger earlier this season. “We are very deep, and we are the best team in the SWAC. We want to be great. We want to be undefeated in our league. We want to be champions, and we want to go to the NCAA Tournament. That is our mindset.”
The Tigers play at Alabama State on Thursday, while Alcorn plays at Alabama A&M.
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