HOUSTON (AP) Reginald Johnson had 22 points and eight rebounds to help Alcorn State beat Grambling State 66-52 on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.
Alcorn State advances to play top-seeded Texas Southern in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Marquis Vance had 14 points with eight rebounds and Leantwan Luckett added 12 points for No. 8 seed Alcorn State (6-25). The Braves had a 36-28 advantage on the glass and forced 16 turnovers.
Alcorn State built a 29-18 lead at halftime after holding Grambling State to 7-of-23 shooting (30 percent). The Braves started the second half on an 11-2 run for a 20-point advantage.
Grambling State made its first second-half field goal at the 14:15 mark.
Mark Gray scored 12 points for ninth-seeded Grambling State (2-27), which lost its final 22 games of the season. Its two wins came against Selma University and Lyon College.
