Houston, TX-The showdown between SWAC's number one and number two teams was too much for a regulation game… this match had to be settled in overtime. Top ranked Mississippi Valley came to the H&PE Arena to face second rank Texas Southern in a match up to determine who would hold the number one spot in the SWAC.
TSU was riding a 14 game home winning streak coming in to this game, while MVSU was the lone undefeated team in the conference.
The Tigers led by five points (21-16) midway through the first period. Valley came back and went up 31-23 at the 5:10 minute mark. TSU closed the gap but ended the first half down 33-37.
Texas Southern trailed for most of the second half, but slowly closed the gap on Mississippi Valley. TSU got within two points of the lead a few times but each time Valley held off the attack and increased their lead. The Tigers strongest attack came with 20 seconds left in regulation. TSU was down 59-63 when the ball was put in the hands of point guard Madarious Gibbs. The freshman went coast-to-coast twice to score back to back layups which tied the game at 63. Now the best team in the conference would be decided in overtime.
Mississippi Valley scored first on a three-point shot from Terence Joyner. TSU's Fred Sturdivant responded with a breakaway layup for the Tigers. But Valley scored the Tigers down the stretch to capture a 77-69 victory.
“It was a great wake-up call,” said TSU head coach Tony Harvey. 'It gives me an opportunity to reel my guys in and make them understand how disciplined and how much more committed we have to be.”
Omar Strong led the Tigers with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Lawrence Johnson-Danner had 13 points. Gibbs had 14 points and Sturdivant had ten points.
Texas Southern goes on the road to face Alabama A&M on January 28th.
