Texas Southern Lady Tigers inch closer to regular season title

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern University Lady Tiger's basketball team looked like a well-oiled machine on Saturday night as they cruised to an easy 70-41 win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs.

The win is the third straight for the Lady Tigers and pushes their overall record to 17-8.  More importantly, the victory inches the team closer to a regular season Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.  TSU is now 13-2 in SWAC play with three contests left in conference.

The Lady Tigers got contributions from a myriad of sources as three TSU players scored in double-digits and eight different players got on the board.  Keiana Vines led all scorers with 16 points.  She did much of her damage by way of the free-throw line as she hit 8-9 shots from the charity stripe.

Vines also added 8 rebounds.  She got lots of help from Brianna Sidney and Joyce Kennerson.  Sidney finished with 13 points and spaced the floor, going 3-8 on three-point attempts.  She also chipped in 5 boards.  Kennerson scored 14 points and knocked down two three-pointers of her own. 

While the team's offensive performance was impressive, the Lady Tigers also brought the intensity on the defensive side of the ball.  TSU's hard-nosed defense forced 27 Lady Bulldog turnovers.  The Lady Tigers finished the contest with 12 steals.  Vines made her presence felt down low as she rejected five Lady Bulldog shots.  Not to be outdone, Kennerson was pesky all night and came away with 4 steals. TSU held AAMU to 31.8 percent shooting from the field, and were even stingier in the second half as the Bulldogs only made 28 percent of their shots after halftime.

The Lady Tigers are in control of their own destiny in terms of winning the SWAC.  With the win, the team is now up 1.5 games over second-placed Southern University.

The Lady Tigers will try to expand that lead and close in on a conference championship in their next contest on Monday night when they welcome the Alabama State Lady Hornets to the HPE Arena.  Come cheer on TSU in their final home game of the season and show your appreciation for the hard work and dedication the seniors have invested during their time at the university.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION