GEORGETOWN, Texas – In the final home game of their collegiate careers, seniors Brandon Alexander and Luke Hicks led the Southwestern University Pirates men's basketball team to a 78-68 victory over the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats, extending the careers of this class of seniors by at least one more game.
Alexander four Pirates in double figures with 23 points and Hicks poured in 14, punching the Pirates' Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) tickets for a second consecutive season on the last day of the regular season.
Both teams opened the game on fire, trading shot for shot with Alexander and Hicks combining for 22 of the Pirates' 42 first-half points.
Alexander worked his way inside with a workman-like performance, getting to the free-throw line for six attempts, hitting all of them, and scoring a pair of buckets inside for 10 points in the half. Hicks scored at all three levels of the floor, ending the first half with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting.
Johnson & Wales countered with a strong performance from Andray Thomas, using his combination of speed and strength to slash his way through the lane for 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting, hitting a half-court 3-pointer as time expired to bring his team to within 42-38 at the break.
Alexander took over in the second half, scoring 11 on 4-for-7 shooting with three free throws to finish the game with a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double.
The Pirates also got strong performances off the bench from guard Calvin Williams and Trenton Garrett, who each had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting with Garrett patrolling the paint for two blocks and seven rebounds.
For the game, Southwestern shot 27-for-50 (54 percent), including 2-for-8 from deep and 23-for-34 from the free-throw line. The Pirates outscored the Wildcats 48-36 in the paint and 12-6 in second-chance points.
The Wildcats were led by Thomas, who finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Shyreef Robins had 15 points on 12 shots, Charles Young scored 11, and Jaerron Hunter finished with 10.
With the win, the Pirates wrap up their regular season with a 12-13 record, including 8-9 in conference play. Southwestern will open up postseason play on Friday, Feb. 28 in Kerrville, Texas.
