The Southern Lady Jaguars and the Alabama State Lady Hornets entered the 2026 SWAC Championship by way of very different paths. Southern advanced after knocking off top-seeded Alabama A&M in a nail-biting semifinal, while Alabama State earned its spot with a 72–59 blowout victory over Prairie View.
The Lady Jaguars, the defending tournament champions, came in looking to repeat. For both teams, a win would secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament field of 68.
Both sides opened the game with aggressiveness and intensity, but the early minutes were defined by turnovers. In the first four minutes, Southern committed four quick giveaways. Alabama State, however, was unable to capitalize due to ineffective shooting.
Southern’s Demaya Porter led the early effort for the Lady Jaguars, scoring four points in the first five minutes. By the 2:52 mark of the opening period, Alabama State had gone through a 4:19 scoring drought while committing three turnovers during that stretch.
Two quick buckets helped the Hornets trim the deficit, but 31 percent shooting in the period, no free throw attempts, and 0 percent shooting from three-point range left Alabama State trailing 17–8 at the end of the first quarter. Southern also finished the period in a drought, going scoreless over the final 2:52. The teams combined for 12 turnovers in the opening quarter.
Turnovers continued to trouble the Hornets in the second quarter as Alabama State committed five in just 2:41. Zaria Hurston scored five points in the first four minutes of the period for Southern, helping extend the Lady Jaguars’ lead to 29–12 with 4:54 remaining in the half.
At that same point, Alabama State finally reached the free throw line for the first time in the game.
Southern continued to pull away behind its outside shooting. The Lady Jaguars went a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range in the quarter, including a buzzer-beating three by Olivia Delancy to close the half. Delancy also led Southern in the period with six points.
Fast-break scoring proved to be another key factor, as Southern held a 13–0 advantage in transition points. The Lady Jaguars also displayed balanced scoring, with eight different players finding the scoreboard in the first half.
Southern led 41-19 at the half.
Alabama State came out of the half aggressively, attacking the basket with two quick drives. In the first three minutes of the period, the Hornets pulled down six rebounds and opened on a 9–0 run led by Caylee Simpson. During that stretch, Alabama State forced four turnovers in 3:43 and cut Southern’s lead to 10 with 5:18 remaining in the quarter.
Back-to-back buckets from Delancy halted the Hornets’ run.
After the strong start, Alabama State went cold, going 0-for-5 from the field and finishing just 2-for-10 over its next 10 shot attempts. Southern responded after its slow start, connecting on 4 of its last 5 field goal attempts in the period.
The Hornets also showed improvement in ball control, committing just one turnover in the quarter. After missing all of their three-point attempts in the first half, Alabama State found success from deep, knocking down two three-pointers in the third period.
Despite improvements in the third quarter, the Hornets found themselves down 58-42 going into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, the shooting struggles continued for the Hornets. Alabama State endured a 3:15 scoring drought and was shooting just 14.3% from the field more than halfway through the period. Southern continued to struggle with turnovers, but Alabama State was unable to capitalize and could not build enough momentum to cut into the Lady Jaguars’ lead.
Simpson led Alabama State with 19 points. Southern once again showcased a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures, led by Hurston with 13.
With the win, the Lady Jaguars repeat as SWAC Tournament champions and now await their placement in the NCAA Tournament field of 68. Selection Sunday is set for Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT
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