Jackson State University’s men’s basketball team will return to their home court this week for two games against Texas-based Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponents, starting with Prairie View A&M on Saturday. The matchup is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center and will be broadcast live on SWACTV.
The Tigers, currently holding a 3-13 overall record and 2-1 in conference play, are coming off a strong individual performance by Daeshun Ruffin, who was named SWAC Player of the Week after averaging 37.5 points per game over two contests last week. Jackson State has a historical advantage over Prairie View A&M, having won 66 out of the 93 meetings since 1977 and securing victories in their last three encounters.
Ruffin leads the team in both scoring and assists this season, averaging 21.5 points (35.3 in conference games) and 4.5 assists per game (7.7 in conference). Jayme Mitchell Jr. contributes with an average of 13.1 points (12.3 in conference) and 3.8 rebounds per game, while Dorian McMillian adds 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Ruffin recently recorded his first double-double of the season—and second of his career—against Alabama A&M, finishing with a career-high 39 points and 10 assists while shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and over 91 percent from the free throw line. In the previous game, he scored 36 points along with nine rebounds and five assists, also collecting four steals.
For the week, Ruffin shot almost 45 percent from the floor, made two three-pointers, converted more than 93 percent of his free throws, averaged six rebounds and two steals per game, and dished out an average of seven-and-a-half assists during a road split that led to his Player of the Week honor.
Head coach Mo Williams has included his son KyDarrius as an assistant coach this season; another son, Mike Williams, joins as a recruit from Germantown High School.
Tamarion Hoover has provided scoring off the bench recently, averaging 15.5 points over the last two conference games.
In their past three games, Jackson State has averaged nearly 85 points per outing—including a season-high of 91 against Alabama A&M—and earlier this season held Louisiana to just 45 points for their opponent’s lowest total since February of last year.
The Tigers have faced one of the toughest schedules nationally this year—playing five nationally-ranked teams so far—and were picked to finish third in SWAC preseason polls after ending last regular season second with a record of 14-4 before losing in the conference championship game.
Jackson State has used twelve different starting lineups through sixteen games but maintained consistency by using the same lineup across all three conference matchups to date.
Fans can follow updates on Jackson State Athletics via social media or visit GoJSUTigers.com for more information about upcoming games and team news.
