Southern Pulls Away Early, Advances to SWAC Semifinal with 64-51 Win Over Jackson State

Southern set the tone early and never let Jackson State settle in, winning 64–51 in the opening round of the SWAC Tournament on Thursday.

Jackson State entered the matchup at 12–18 overall and 10–8 in conference play, looking to use defensive intensity and backcourt quickness to knock off a Jaguars squad that had been among the league’s steadier performers all season. Southern came in at 16–13 overall and 12–6 in SWAC action. Both programs earned double byes and were making their first tournament appearances of the week.

Zaria Hurston drained a three-pointer less than 10 seconds into the game, and Demya Porter followed with a fast-break layup to put Southern ahead 5–0 before Jackson State could find its footing. The Lady Tigers struggled to finish inside and on the perimeter in the early going, and while Pierre-Noelle Tcheuhchoua got them on the board with a layup and free throw, Southern had an answer every time. Jaylia Reed hit a three, Olivia Delancy provided an instant spark off the bench with a second-chance jumper and a three of her own, and Southern’s defense consistently turned turnovers into transition points. After one quarter, Southern led 18–7.

The second quarter only widened the gap. Jocelyn Tate converted a turnover into a fast-break layup, and Delancy caught fire from beyond the arc, burying back-to-back threes off turnovers to push the lead to 26–8. Jackson State showed some fight with threes from Jada Patton and Derrica McCall, but Southern kept answering. Porter scored efficiently in the paint, Tate added a second-chance basket, and Hurston converted an and-one to push the margin past 20. Southern took a commanding 38–16 lead into halftime.

Jackson State came out with more aggression after the break, trimming the deficit to 42–30 after McCall turned a steal into a fast-break layup. But Southern responded with key baskets from Tate, a stepback three from Mykayla Cunningham, and steady free-throw shooting from Jestiny Dixon and Delancy, who closed the quarter with another three to give Southern a 53–36 lead heading to the fourth.

Any hope of a comeback was extinguished early in the final frame. Tate opened with a fast-break layup off a steal, Reed hit a three to push the lead back to 20, and Dixon and Demonnie Lagway added transition scores to keep Jackson State at arm’s length. The Lady Tigers continued to compete behind free throws from Camryn O’Neil, a three from Angel Wilkinson, and continued production from Tcheuhchoua, but Southern had a consistent answer down the stretch. Xylliz Harrison led all scorers with 18 points.

Southern advances to face Alabama A&M in the SWAC Tournament semifinal on Friday at 11 a.m. EST.