HOUSTON – The Lady Tigers of Texas Southern University withstood a tough challenge from Mississippi Valley State before claiming their third consecutive win Saturday by a score of 55-39.
Junior guard Joyce Kennerson surpassed 1,300 career points and moved into fifth on TSU's all-time women's basketball scoring list thanks to a 23-point effort against the Devilettes. Kennerson's 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter gave her 20 for the game and moved her ahead of Monica Okolo on the school's career scoring list; Okolo scored 1,299 points between 1998 and 2002.
Breasia McElrath turned in the second double-double performance of the season for the Lady Tigers (9-8), who improved to 5-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with the victory. McElrath scored 10 points and pulled in a career-high 15 rebounds; she also blocked a career-best four shots.
Kristy Parker scored 16 points for Mississippi Valley State, which remained winless in 19 games this season; the Devilettes are now 0-6 in conference play.
The undersized Devilettes, who suited up only eight players Saturday, kept pace with the Lady Tigers by slowing the game down and using most of the shot clock on their possessions. TSU led from start to finish, but Valley did use a 9-0 run in the third quarter to cut the home team's lead from 14 points to 29-24 with 5:21 left in the period.
Texas Southern finally pulled away from its guests with a 13-3 run between the 8:04 and 1:53 marks of the fourth quarter as the Lady Tigers stretched their lead to 52-36. Kennerson capped the run with her noteworthy 3-pointer.
The Lady Tigers return to action Monday when they host Arkansas–Pine Bluff. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
KEY POINTS
• Kennerson's scoring average fell slightly to 25.6 points per game, but she still has a lead of three-tenths of a point per game over Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell for the NCAA's scoring lead. Ohio State returns to action Tuesday.
• The Lady Tigers outrebounded their opponents 44-24 Saturday. The big margin in rebounds helped key a 13-3 TSU advantage in second-chance points, and a 30-20 advantage in points in the paint.
• Taylor Robinson came off the TSU bench to score six points on 3-of-3 shooting. She has made her past 11 field-goal attempts going back two games to TSU's win at Jackson State; Robinson was 6-of-6 at Grambling on Monday.
• Kennerson and Kaitlyn Palmer handed out four assists apiece Saturday. Palmer also scored nine points and pulled in six rebounds.
TWEET of the GAME
Joyce Kennerson's (@JKennerson_) last 3-pointer gave her 1,300 for her career! She just passed Monica Okolo (1998-2002) for fifth all-time in TSU history!
— TSU Lady Tigers Basketball (@TSUWomensHoops) January 21, 2018
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
Junior guard Joyce Kennerson surpassed 1,300 career points and moved into fifth on TSU's all-time women's basketball scoring list thanks to a 23-point effort against the Devilettes. Kennerson's 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining in the fourth quarter gave her 20 for the game and moved her ahead of Monica Okolo on the school's career scoring list; Okolo scored 1,299 points between 1998 and 2002.
Breasia McElrath turned in the second double-double performance of the season for the Lady Tigers (9-8), who improved to 5-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play with the victory. McElrath scored 10 points and pulled in a career-high 15 rebounds; she also blocked a career-best four shots.
Kristy Parker scored 16 points for Mississippi Valley State, which remained winless in 19 games this season; the Devilettes are now 0-6 in conference play.
The undersized Devilettes, who suited up only eight players Saturday, kept pace with the Lady Tigers by slowing the game down and using most of the shot clock on their possessions. TSU led from start to finish, but Valley did use a 9-0 run in the third quarter to cut the home team's lead from 14 points to 29-24 with 5:21 left in the period.
Texas Southern finally pulled away from its guests with a 13-3 run between the 8:04 and 1:53 marks of the fourth quarter as the Lady Tigers stretched their lead to 52-36. Kennerson capped the run with her noteworthy 3-pointer.
The Lady Tigers return to action Monday when they host Arkansas–Pine Bluff. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
KEY POINTS
• Kennerson's scoring average fell slightly to 25.6 points per game, but she still has a lead of three-tenths of a point per game over Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell for the NCAA's scoring lead. Ohio State returns to action Tuesday.
• The Lady Tigers outrebounded their opponents 44-24 Saturday. The big margin in rebounds helped key a 13-3 TSU advantage in second-chance points, and a 30-20 advantage in points in the paint.
• Taylor Robinson came off the TSU bench to score six points on 3-of-3 shooting. She has made her past 11 field-goal attempts going back two games to TSU's win at Jackson State; Robinson was 6-of-6 at Grambling on Monday.
• Kennerson and Kaitlyn Palmer handed out four assists apiece Saturday. Palmer also scored nine points and pulled in six rebounds.
TWEET of the GAME
Joyce Kennerson's (@JKennerson_) last 3-pointer gave her 1,300 for her career! She just passed Monica Okolo (1998-2002) for fifth all-time in TSU history!
— TSU Lady Tigers Basketball (@TSUWomensHoops) January 21, 2018
Courtesy: TSU Athletics