Lady Tigers defeat Southern 77-71 in overtime

BATON ROUGE, La. – Texas Southern tied their game at Southern with two seconds remaining in regulation, then scored the last eight points of the overtime period Wednesday to claim a 77-71 win.
 
Artavia Ford scored a career-high 27 points – none bigger than the game-tying midrange jumper in the key to force overtime – and pulled in 10 rebounds to lift the Lady Tigers (8-5) to their third consecutive win.
 
The Lady Tigers improved to 2-0 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play for the first time since the 2014-15 season. They also won in Baton Rouge for the first time in two seasons.
 
Ford, a 6-foot-3 transfer from UT Arlington, shot 9-of-18 from the floor and was 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Joyce Kennerson scored 23 points for the Lady Tigers, followed by Breasia McElrath, who scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Texas Southern.
 
Cortnei Purnell, a native of Pearland, Texas, scored 18 points to lead four Southern players scoring in double figures. The Jaguars (3-7) fell to 1-1 in SWAC play.
 
Texas Southern visits in-state rival Prairie View A&M on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.