For the first time in school history, Texas Southern is victorious at the NCAA tournament.

Demontrae Jefferson scored 25 points, and Donte Clark added 18 to help the Tigers earn a 64-46 win over North Carolina Central in their First Four matchup Wednesday.

Texas Southern moves on to play top-seeded Xavier on Friday. The Tigers led by 10 at halftime and pulled away in the second half, leaving little suspense to the result despite being the 68th-ranked team in the 68-team field by the selection committee.

The Mike Davis-led team started the season 0-13 and was 8-19 after blowing an 18-point lead to Arkansas-Pine Bluff in February. They have since reeled off eight straight wins, becoming the first team to start 0-13 to make the NCAA tournament since 1985 and the first SWAC team to win a game in the Dance since 2010.

"We all came together at the right time, we all made a decision that winning basketball games were more important than anything else," Davis told reporters coming into Wednesday. "So being 0-13, it only bothered other people."

The Tigers completely locked NC Central down defensively, with the Eagles shooting just 30.4 percent from the floor and missing all 14 of their three-point attempts. Center Raasean Davis had 19 points and 11 rebounds, but he was the only NC Central player in double figures. No other player had more than seven points.

NC Central's shooting woes helped Texas Southern atone for its own issues on the offensive end. The Tigers shot 36.8 percent from the floor and knocked down just six of their 24 threes. Their 64 points were more than 13 fewer than they averaged before the tournament.

Jefferson, a diminutive 5'7" guard, continued to lead the team with his sheer will. He shot 8-of-18 from the field but tied for the team high with eight rebounds while also adding three assists and three steals.

Clark, a senior guard who transferred from UMass, finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. He got to the line a game-high seven times, which was one more than NC Central attempted as a team altogether.

Center Trayvon Reed came off the bench and had a 10-point, eight-rebound, six-block performance as the team's defensive anchor. Reed, who began his collegiate career at Auburn, could be a bit of a matchup problem for Xavier being listed at 7'2" and 240 pounds.

Texas Southern will now attempt to make history and become the first 16 seed to ever take down a No. 1, playing against an Xavier team that returns many players from its Elite Eight run a year ago.