Grant Maxey scored 15 points and Jackson State opened the second half with 16 unanswered points to defeat Prairie View A&M 66-53 Friday in the semifinals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. The Tigers (18-14), who have won 17 of their past 19 games after starting the season 1-12, earned their third straight trip to the final. Jackson State, the No. 2 seed, will face the winner of the Alabama State-Arkansas-Pine Bluff game in Saturday's championship game. The third-seeded Panthers (17-16) used a 14-0 run in the first half to take a 21-9 lead. The Tigers rallied to tie the game at 33 at halftime, then used a 16-0 spurt to lead 49-33 with 12:55 left. The Panthers could get no closer than eight the rest of the game, snapping their four-game winning streak. Jacoie Shivers led Prairie View A&M with 12 points.
