Ruffin leads Jackson State against Alabama State

By Canadian Press on January 9, 2026.

Jackson State Tigers (2-12, 1-0 SWAC) at Alabama State Hornets (4-11, 1-1 SWAC)

Montgomery, Alabama; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Jackson State takes on Alabama State after Daeshun Ruffin scored 31 points in Jackson State’s 89-86 win against the Alcorn State Braves.

The Hornets are 1-0 in home games. Alabama State is 3-8 in games decided by 10 or more points.

The Tigers are 1-0 in conference matchups. Jackson State is 1-0 in one-possession games.

Alabama State averages 75.6 points per game, 14.9 fewer points than the 90.5 Jackson State gives up. Jackson State’s 37.7% shooting percentage from the field this season is 9.9 percentage points lower than Alabama State has allowed to its opponents (47.6%).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Micah Simpsom averages 2.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Hornets, scoring 15.5 points while shooting 37.1% from beyond the arc. Asjon Anderson is shooting 38.1% and averaging 19.0 points over the last 10 games.

Jayme Mitchell averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Tigers, scoring 13.3 points while shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc. Ruffin is averaging 18.5 points and four assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 2-8, averaging 73.9 points, 30.2 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 8.0 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 84.4 points per game.

Tigers: 2-8, averaging 64.0 points, 26.0 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 5.5 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 39.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 86.8 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press