The Jackson State Tigers took down the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 70-66 on Saturday night. The Jackson State Sonic Boom band had the entire arena shaking with the sound of drums and horns as fans cheered on their Tigers. With the home win, JSU improved to 4-2 in the SWAC and sit in fourth place. The Tigers overall record is now 5-14.
The Tigers Stop the Wildcats Quick Offense
Bethune-Cookman came out fast on offense, often attempting to break down the court off a rebound, of which they had plenty. The Wildcats had 22 boards in the first half, 16 of which were defensive rebounds. If the game was decided by rebounds, Bethune-Cookman certainly would have won this game. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, basketball games are decided by points, and those did not come easy against the Tigers defense.
JSU played excellent defense in their home win. They held BCU to just one made three in the first half. The Wildcats would finish with five made threes shooting only 20% from beyond the arc. There was no mercy on the interior either. The Tigers had four blocks and eight steals on the night. JSU’s defense has been stellar since conference play began. In their six games in the SWAC, the Tigers have had no less than seven steals and have finished two of their contests with ten.
It was a very physical game between the two SWAC squads, but the Tigers held strong. Bethune-Cookman guards Zion Harmon and Marcus Garrett finished with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Though, the rest of the team didn’t fair as well. JSU held the rest of the Wildcats team to just 31 points. The Wildcats’ bench was only able to contribute 14 points to BCU’s efforts. The Tigers played excellent defense, which led them to their win.
JSU Shows Off Athleticism in Win
What this JSU men’s basketball team lacks in shooting prowess, they more than make up for in pure athleticism. This was on full display Saturday night as fans were treated to high-flying action. Sophomore guard Coltie Young flew in from the top of the key with a big slam early in the second half. That dunk was followed up by a tremendous alley-oop sent up by guard Chase Adams and thrown down by the athletic 6’9 forward Romelle Mansel.
Mansel wasn’t just throwing down balls for massive dunks. He was also knocking them out of the air. Later in the second half a Bethune-Cookman player set up for a corner three, and to the delight of the fans, Mansel went sky high and sent the ball into the crowd. The Tigers also showed offensive prowess. Early in the second half, the Tigers guard Chase Adams came out firing. He hit two threes and followed them up with a steal for a breakaway layup. JSU also mixed in some impressive ball movement to their offense.
All of this culminated in JSU entering the last 30 seconds of the game with a seven points lead. The Wildcats would not go quietly, however. After two made free throws, the lead was cut to just five. JSU fans weren’t worried, however. After JSU’s leading scorer Trace Young knocked down a pair of freethrows they sat back in their seats, waiting for the time to run out. Then the Wildcats hit a big three, followed up with another one after JSU’s Chase Adams went 1-1 from the line. With just a two-point lead, Trace Young stepped up to the free-throw line with three seconds left. Fans were on the edge of their seats. But they weren’t there for long as Young knocked down both, and the clock ticked down to a Jackson State victory.
