Inside TSU 2015 | Page 44

SPORTS Tigers Capture SWAC Championship Tournament Title and Earn NCAA Tournament Bid The Texas Southern Tigers men’s basketball team captured their first SWAC Tournament title in twelve years. TSU beat rival Prairie View A&M 78-73 in the championship game at the Toyota Center in Houston. Senior center Aaric Murray led the Tigers with 27 points and 10 rebounds in an all-around impressive performance which netted him his seventh double-double of the season and earned him tournament MVP honors. The Tigers earned a birth into the first four of the NCAA regional tournament where they faced off with California Polytechnic State University. Despite a valiant effort, the Tigers lost 81-69. “I’m proud of my basketball team,” said TSU head coach Mike “ WE HAD A REALLY GOOD SEASON. WE WERE 6-6 AT ONE TIME IN THE CONFERENCE BUT STARTED TO PLAY REALLY GOOD BASKETBALL DOWN THE STRETCH. ” player of the Year honors and he was named to the All-SWAC First Team. Texas Southern concluded the year with a 12-6 conference record and19-15 overall record winning nine out of their last ten games. Coach Davis has led three different schools to the NCAA Tournament. TSU Women’s Golf Finish Second in Championship Tournament The Texas Southern Lady Tigers finished the 2014 SWAC Golf Championship tournament in second place. TSU shot 332 for the final round at the Links on the Bayou Golf Club, four shots better than the previous round. Kassandra Rivera led the Lady Tigers again with a 77. Rivera’s two day total of 150 left her two strokes behind the leader and earned her All-SWAC first team honors. Carmen Gonzalez shot a final round 81, eight strokes better than her opening round. Gonzalez also received All-SWAC second team honors. The Lady Tigers recorded 668 strokes for the two-day tournament. Rivera finished the season ranked among the top 10 NCAA Division I female golfers in the nation as a sophomore. Davis. “We had a really good season. We were 6-6 at one time in the conference but started to play really good basketball down the stretch. We won nine straight games, six games in the conference and three games in the tournament to become champions.” Murray earned SWAC Offensive and Defensive 44 | SPRING 2015 InsideOneTSU Magazine.indd 44 4/6/15 5:44 AM