BIRMINGHAM, AL- Texas Southern used a strong second half run to defeat Alcorn State 78- 55 in the Quarterfinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament sponsored by Cricket Wireless. They now advance to take on number two seeded Jackson State University on Friday in the Semifinals.

After trailing 34-32 at the half, TSU made the necessary halftime adjustments and went on a 22-9 run to take the lead 54-43. Forward Joirdon Nicholas recorded a double-double in the victory with 24 points and 13 rebounds. First Team All-SWAC and Newcomer of The Year Michael Weathers contributed with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Texas Southern, who leads the SWAC in rebounding at 41.0 per game, was all over the glass on both the offensive (11) and defensive (33) end to compile 44 for the game. The Tigers also lead the conference in blocked shots and that trend continued against the Braves as they swatted away seven Alcorn State shots.

The Braves reserve forward Tyree Corbett led Alcorn in scoring with 23 points, but Alcorn struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the second half hitting only six shots (18%) and was outscored 46-21.