Showdown time
Southern guard Derick Beltran, center, is fouled by Arkansas Pine Bluff defenders Savalace Townsend, left, and Clay Johnson as he drives to the basketball.
Jaguars aim to bounce back against first-place MVSU
“But that’s part of it. We’ve got to play what’s dealt to us, the hand that I have. We’re going to find a way to come back and represent ourselves and this university in a good fashion.” Roman Banks, Southern men’s basketball coach
It was supposed to be the clash of the year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference: big, bad Mississippi Valley State, the clear-cut front-runner and winner of 12 straight games, against smaller, scrappier Southern University, which blindsided the rest of the league on its surprising climb to second place.
With a win Monday, the Jaguars could’ve crept to within a whisker of Valley, giving the Delta Devils a little something to worry about as the regular season wound down.
One small problem. Saturday night, amid the run-up to this heavyweight bout, Southern took one on the chin.
The Jaguars fell too far behind Arkansas-Pine Bluff and ran out of steam in a 64-58 loss — one that had to make fans wonder if a fun-but-long season has started to take its toll on the short-handed team.
Southern (13-12, 9-3) now sits three games behind Valley (13-11, 12-0) with six regular-season games remaining. But don’t be mistaken: Monday night’s game in the F.G. Clark Activity Center is still a biggie.
“You’ve got another basketball team coming in here that’s really good,” first-year coach Roman Banks said. “They’re really bigger, faster, stronger at every position. But we’ll see what we’re made out of.”
That they will.
In the past five seasons, only one team — Jackson State in 2009-10 — came anywhere close to matching what Valley has done in conference play so far.
Two years ago, JSU won 11 of its first 12 conference games en route to a 17-1 finish and the regular-season title (the Tigers lost to Grambling in a first-round stunner at the SWAC tournament).
The Devils, now in their fourth season under coach Sean Woods, are unquestionably the best team in the league this season.
Saturday night, they got something of a scare from Alcorn State — and, truth be told, did not play their best game (Mississippi Valley State was 13-for-25 at the free-throw line and 6-for-23 from 3-point range).
Still, the Delta Devils won 71-63, in large part because they forced 19 turnovers and dominated inside, shooting 46 percent from the floor overall.
Meanwhile, down in Baton Rouge, the Jaguars missed 17 of their first 20 shots in the second half against Arkansas-Pine Bluff — and though they made a furious charge over the final eight minutes, they fell short. They also burned a lot of energy.
Derick Beltran, who scored a game-high 22 points — including three straight 3-pointers during that second-half run, which brought Southern to within two points — left the floor with 19 seconds remaining, having suffered a severe leg cramp.
Long after the game ended, Beltran emerged from the trainer’s room on crutches.
Power forward Quinton Doggett had 18 points and 11 rebounds, but he played all 40 minutes.
Jameel Grace — the team’s only scholarship point guard — had 11 points, seven rebounds and a team-high six assists, but he played 38 minutes.
This season, Beltran, Doggett and Grace have all averaged more than 32 minutes per game since the SWAC schedule began Jan. 3.
It’s not that Banks wants to wear out his starters. The problem is, in games like Saturday, the coach felt he had no other choice.
Southern’s bench, playing a combined 43 minutes, had only four points, five rebounds, three assists and three turnovers.
“The disappointing part is (for) the five minutes, the three minutes, the one minute that we need people to come off the bench and contribute, we’re not getting it,” Banks said.
“We’re not even average. We’re just performing below average. ... Ultimately, that hurt us, because the guys are playing more minutes, and we need somebody to come in and help give us a lift.
“It’s just not working out that way right now.”
Making matters worse is the fact that Monday night, the Jaguars play a Valley team that’s long, athletic, deep and talented.
There’s a reason the Delta Devils have won 12 straight games.
All five of their starters are seniors, as is sixth man Cor-J Cox, who’s capable of heating up in a hurry (he has scored 15 or more points in eight games this season).
One other thing: Valley isn’t a halfcourt kind of team.
Woods — a former point guard for Rick Pitino at Kentucky — loves to press, trap, run and score in transition.
That could be a problem for an Southern team that’s short of breath, and short on bodies.
“That’s a huge concern,” Banks said. “You look at that team, and you’ve got to prepare for them. ...
“But that’s part of it. We’ve got to play what’s dealt to us, the hand that I have. We’re going to find a way to come back and represent ourselves and this university in a good fashion, whether we win, lose or draw.”
Let the clash begin.