ESPN Men's Basketball

GARLAND, Texas -- Top-seeded Texas Southern shot 28.6 percent from the field but still advanced past the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament on Wednesday with a 50-45 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Tigers (19-11) survived by getting 19 points from Travele Jones and hitting 25 of 35 free-throw attempts. Texas Southern will play the winner of Thursday's Alabama State-Alabama A&M game in the SWAC quarterfinals on Friday.

Pine Bluff (7-24) shot poorly from the floor (29.4 percent) and the free-throw line (45.8 percent) and did not have a player score in double figures.

The Golden Lions trailed 26-21 at halftime but took a 31-30 lead on a layup by Terrell Kennedy and later used an 8-2 run to go on top 42-37 with 6:17 remaining.

Texas Southern's Harrison Smith then hit a 3-pointer to spark a 9-0 run that put the Tigers ahead for good, 46-42, with 1:11 left.