ASU men on the cusp of SWAC title after win over Texas Southern

As Alabama State senior point guard Brandon Brooks walked off the Acadome floor for the final time in his ASU career, the partisan crowd gave Brooks the expected standing ovation. His coaches and teammates greeted him with hugs and high-fives. The public address announcer asked for more applause. None of those, however, were as telling as the reaction from Texas Southern head coach Tony Harvey.

Harvey, who had just watched Brooks orchestrate a 90-73 thumping of his Tigers, left his bench, walked past mid-court, got Brooks' attention with a slap on the backside and shook his hand. "That means so much -- to know that you've earned the respect of your peers like that," Brooks said. "That was a nice gesture and it meant a lot to me." Harvey's motivation was easy to spot Monday night.

While his numbers -- 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds -- don't jump off the stat sheet, Brooks was clearly in command in ASU's win. He controlled the flow of the game by pushing the ball early, as the Hornets jumped out to a 28-14 lead with seven minutes left in the first half. And he led the charge in the second half, as ASU recovered from a slump that allowed TSU to even the score and pushed its lead out to as many as 23 down the stretch.

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