HOUSTON — Texas Southern made a late push behind strong fourth‑quarter play from Taliyah Logwood, Aaliyah Henderson and Malaya LeSueur, but an early Southern scoring run proved too much to overcome as the Tigers dropped a 66–54 decision Thursday evening at the H&PE Arena.
Southern opened the game shooting 56 percent in the first quarter and used an 11–2 run to build a 24–13 lead after one period. Texas Southern countered with interior scoring from Ayanna Jackson, Da'Myiah Lewis, and Henderson, but struggled to find a consistent rhythm from the perimeter, finishing 0‑for‑4 from three in the quarter.
The Tigers tightened defensively in the second quarter, holding Southern to just five points and forcing multiple turnovers to trim the deficit to 29–22 at halftime. Jackson and Lewis provided key second‑chance baskets, while the TSU bench contributed a much‑needed spark with four points and improved rebounding.
Texas Southern continued to battle in the third quarter, using a 7–2 spurt highlighted by Henderson's drives and a three-pointer from Lauren Perry to pull within 33–35 midway through the period. But Southern responded with a string of threes from Olivia Delancy, who finished with 20 points, pushing the Jaguar lead back to 48–35 heading into the fourth.
The Tigers mounted their strongest surge of the night in the final frame, scoring 19 points behind Logwood's nine fourth‑quarter points and LeSueur's timely free throws. Henderson added a pair of transition layups, helping TSU cut the deficit to single digits inside the final minute. Ultimately, Southern held on by capitalizing on late free throws and turnovers.
Logwood led TSU with 12 points, while Henderson added 12 points and four assists. Jackson finished with nine points and six rebounds, and LeSueur contributed four points and four boards. Texas Southern owned a 32–28 advantage in points in the paint and grabbed 12 second‑chance points, but Southern's seven three‑pointers and 25 points off turnovers made the difference.
Texas Southern returns to action Saturday, Feb. 14, as the Tigers continue conference play at home against Grambling at 2 pm.
