Morgan Beard
Staff Writer
The Jackson State University Tigers rebounded from a weekend overtime loss (67-70) to the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State University to defeat the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Feb. 27, 2017.
The win moved the Tigers closer to earning the #4 seed in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) tournament. The Tigers are now (12-17) overall and (8-8) in SWAC conference play.
JSU is in a 3-way tie for the fourth spot in the SWAC with Grambling and Prairie View A&M. If the Tigers win their next two conference home games and if Grambling and Prairie View A&M lose their next conference games, JSU will host a home playoff game.
If the Tigers had defeated Valley, they would have been alone in fourth place with breathing room headed into the final two games of the regular season. But with that loss, they have to win out and get help to clinch the fourth spot and an opportunity to host a game in the first round of the SWAC Tournament.
In Saturday’s game, the Tigers are alleging that MVSU used an ineligible player in their win. MVSU star player, Marcus Romain, scored two buckets in the final 20 seconds of the second half to force the game into overtime. In overtime, the Delta Devils outscored JSU to capture its fifth win of the season.
According to JSU Blitz, Coach Brent said, “I have discussed it with the head of SWAC officials and sent the tape to the league office. I sat down and went through it with them play by play to show all five fouls, and I think we’re in agreement that he shouldn’t have been eligible.”
The Delta Devils were up 55-48 with 8:24 left on the clock when Romain went to the bench after picking up what should have been his fourth foul. After the Tigers closed the gap, the Delta Devils head coach Andre Payne put his star player back on the court.
With 6:15 on the clock, Romain was called for a foul while going after a defensive rebound. At 3:11, after a MVSU timeout, Romain went back to the scorer’s table to check back into the game.
Senior point guard Yetta Specks led JSU in scoring with 18 points. He has scored 56 combined points in 9 point wins over Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.
According to ESPN.com, Coach Brent said, “He’s (Specks) too important to everything we do on offense. If he gets in foul trouble again, we’re probably just going to roll the dice and leave him in there.”
On Feb. 27, the Tigers defeated the Golden Lions (62-51). Junior guard, Paris Collins, led the team in scoring with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Tigers made 21 of 37 free throws as UAPB was called for 27 fouls. Senior forward Janarius Middleton scored 5 points and 6 rebounds.
JSU led by as many as 13 points on their way to a 30-19 halftime lead. The Tigers bumped the lead to 20 points six times in the second half.
The Tigers went on to defeat the Golden Lions of Alabama State on Thursday (72-64) in one of their last two-regular season games at the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center. They will play the Hornets of Alabama State on Saturday, March 4. This game will also be Senior Day in the final home game on the court in front of fans and alumni.
The game is set to start at 5:30 p.m.
