DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — Southern erased a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat Bethune-Cookman 77-73 in a SWAC men’s basketball game Monday at Moore Gymnasium. The visiting Jaguars trailed 44-36 at halftime but outscored the Wildcats 41-29 after intermission. Malek Abdelgowad led Southern with 21 points. Michael Jacobs added 20 for the Jaguars, who improved to 6-11. Jakobi Heady scored 21 points for Bethune-Cookman, and Quentin Heady added 17. The Wildcats fell to 5-11. An announced crowd of 876 watched the game.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a dramatic second-half reversal, the Southern Jaguars erased a 15-point deficit to stun the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 77-73 in a Southwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball clash Monday night at Moore Gymnasium. The victory, secured before an announced crowd of 876, improved Southern to 6-11 overall. Bethune-Cookman fell to 5-11. The most important part of the game was Southern’s complete defensive transformation after halftime. The Jaguars, who trailed 44-36 at the break after allowing the Wildcats to shoot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first half, locked down after intermission. Bethune-Cookman managed only 29 second-half points, saw its offensive flow disappear, and was outscored 41-29 over the final 20 minutes. Southern’s increased ball pressure forced 12 Wildcat turnovers in the second half, fueling the comeback. Bethune-Cookman, which had been installed as a 3.5-point pregame favorite, appeared in control early. The Wildcats opened the game on a 12-2 run, capped by a Tyler Andrews three-pointer, and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the first half. They led by as many as 15 points at 32-17 following an Arterio Morris layup with 5:20 remaining before halftime. The Wildcats took their eight-point lead into the locker room behind 21 first-half points from Jakobi Heady and 17 from Quentin Heady. The momentum shifted decisively in the second half. Southern chipped away, using a 12-4 run to tie the game at 57-57 on a Malek Abdelgowad layup with 11:09 to play. The Jaguars took their first lead since the opening minute at 61-59 on an alley-oop from Joe Manning to Abdelgowad with 9:22 remaining, part of a 7-0 spurt. From there, the game became a tense, back-and-forth affair featuring six lead changes. Bethune-Cookman’s last lead came at 71-69 on a Daniel Rouzan jump shot with 3:56 left. Southern responded with an Ashton Magee layup to tie it, and then took the lead for good on two Abdelgowad free throws with 2:35 to play, making it 73-71. The Wildcats had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but a Jakobi Heady driving layup with 59 seconds left proved to be their final points, cutting the deficit to 75-73. After a Southern turnover, Bethune-Cookman had possession with 35 seconds left but committed a costly turnover of its own when Rouzan lost the ball out of bounds with eight seconds remaining. Southern’s Michael Jacobs was fouled and calmly sank two free throws with eight seconds on the clock to seal the four-point victory, pushing the total score of 150 over the pregame over/under line of 151.5. Abdelgowad, a 6-foot-10 junior from Cairo, Egypt, was the catalyst for Southern, finishing with 21 points, two assists and a block in 36 minutes. He scored 15 of his points in the second half and was pivotal on both ends during the comeback. Jacobs, a guard from Atlanta, added 20 points and two assists. Manning contributed 14 points off the bench. For Bethune-Cookman, Jakobi Heady, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chicago, led all scorers with 21 points. His brother, Quentin Heady, also from Chicago, finished with 17 points, two blocks and two steals, though 15 of his points came in the first half. Rouzan, from Las Vegas, added nine points and three blocks. Southern, which entered the game with a National Statistical ELO projection giving it just a 32.4 percent chance to win, snapped a two-game conference losing streak. The Jaguars travel to face Grambling on Saturday. Bethune-Cookman, which had won its previous two SWAC contests, looks to rebound Saturday at Mississippi Valley State.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — Two teams seeking momentum to start the new year will meet Monday when Southern visits Bethune-Cookman in a SWAC men’s basketball matchup at Moore Gymnasium. Both the visiting Jaguars (5-10) and the home Wildcats (4-10) enter with losing overall records but are coming off competitive performances in their conference openers. Southern fell 89-85 to Prairie View on Jan. 5, while Bethune-Cookman edged Florida A&M 87-83 on Jan. 3. The game features two of the league’s top offensive threats. Southern is led by guard Michael Jacobs, who is averaging 22 points over his last four games. He scored 30 in the loss to Prairie View and 27 in a win over Texas Southern on Jan. 3. His ability to create shots and distribute will be central to the Jaguars’ attack. Bethune-Cookman counters with forward Tyler Andrews, who posted 20 points and seven rebounds in the win over Florida A&M. Andrews provides a versatile scoring punch for the Wildcats, who will look to protect their home floor after a difficult non-conference schedule that included road losses at Arizona, Oklahoma State and Missouri. Southern’s season has been marked by inconsistency, with a notable win over Texas Southern but double-digit losses to power conference opponents like Baylor and Illinois. Bethune-Cookman has shown resilience at home, including its season-opening win over Ohio and the recent victory against Florida A&M. Defensive execution will be critical. Both teams have allowed high point totals in losses, meaning whichever squad can string together stops may gain the upper hand in a game expected to be closely contested. Monday’s contest is the only scheduled meeting between the programs this regular season. Southern continues its road swing at Grambling on Jan. 17, while Bethune-Cookman travels to face Mississippi Valley State on the same date.