Southern looking for ball to bounce its way
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Staring up from ninth place in the Southwestern Athletic Conference standings, the Southern men’s basketball team has eight games to make up ground.
Half of them are on the road.
The stretch begins with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off at Jackson State (11-11, 9-1 SWAC), which has used a five-game winning streak to build a two-game lead in the league title race.
“If you have the ball bounce in your direction, you’re going to win some games some people don’t expect you to win,” Southern coach Rob Spivery said. “You just have to have everything work in your favor.
“As we continue to play, teams at the bottom (of the conference) are going to beat some of the teams at the top. Those things happen. It’s league play.”
Southern (4-18, 2-8), which has yet to win a road game, could use some favorable bounces.
A victory over winless Alcorn State on Feb. 1 pulled the Jaguars into a tie with Grambling, a team they beat Jan. 9 in Baton Rouge, for eighth place. Saturday’s trip to north Louisiana presented Southern an opportunity to get a leg up on the Tigers in the race for a SWAC tournament berth.
It didn’t happen. Grambling took its first lead in the opening minutes, went ahead by as many as 14 points in the second half and never allowed SU closer than three points in a 65-59 triumph.
Because only eight teams from the 10-team SWAC qualify for the league tournament, Southern would not make the postseason if the season ended today.
“Right now,” Spivery said, “Grambling is a game up on us going into the rest of the conference season. We’ve got to find a way to win somewhere on the road.”
Winning at Jackson State may be the tallest task remaining.
Jackson State has won 10 of its past 11 games, including an 85-64 rout of Alcorn State on Saturday.
Garrison Johnson is the league’s hottest player. After earning SWAC player of the week recognition, the senior guard put in 27 points against the Braves.
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