Opening Night in SWAC Women's Hoops
Southern (2-6, 1-0) 58, Prairie View (3-9, 0-1) 53
Prairie View, Texas - In a battle of SWAC preseason favorites, the Southern Lady Jaguars pulled away late on the road to beat Prairie View in the inaugural SWAC-TV basketball broadcast of the season. Jamie Floyd had 18 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Lady Jags. Jasmine Jefferson added 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Lechell Rush grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points. Latia Williams tallied 13 points and 17 rebounds to pace Prairie View. Jeannette Jackson contributed 12 points. Prairie View led 25-23 at halftime, but Southern outscored the Lady Panthers 35-28 in the final 20 minutes.
Alcorn State (3-8, 1-0) 51, Texas Southern (1-10, 0-1) 48
Houston, Texas - Alcorn State overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Texas Southern. TSU led 26-14 at halftime, but the Lady Braves dominated the second half, outscoring the Lady Tigers 37-22. Alcorn used a 23-10 run over the first 12 minutes of the final half to overtake TSU. A layup by Carolinsia Crumbly gave Alcorn a 37-36 lead with 8:56 left. Thirty seconds later, Morgan Simmons answered with a basket for TSU to gave the lead back to the Lady Tigers temporarily. But, the Lady Braves ripped off six unanswered points, started by a pair of freethrows by Crumbly and pulled ahead 43-38 with 4:26 left. TSU rallied reclaim the lead at 48-46 with only 36 seconds left. However, with 18 seconds left, Breanna Whitfield hit a 3-pointer to put the Lady Braves on top for good. TSU had one last shot to win the game, but Crystal Anyiam's jumper fwith four seconds left was off the mark. Kiara Ruffin lead Alcorn with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Crumbly finished the game with 10 points and five rebounds. Gianne Fleming had 13 points to lead TSU, while Kayla West tallied 10 points.
Jackson State (4-6, 1-0) 72, Alabama A&M (5-6, 0-1) 66 OT
Jackson, Miss. - Jackson State pulled away in overtime to beat Alabama A&M. The Lady Tigers led 23-21 at halftime, but the Lady Bulldogs tied the game at the end of regulation at 58-all. A&M scored the first two points of overtime, but JSU answered with an 8-0 run to put the game away. Tiffany Kellum led JSU with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Rachel Jones dropped in 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Kiana McCarty tallied 11 points and eight rebounds and Daria Hester also contributed 11 points. For A&M, league scoring leader Whiquitta Tobar led the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Mississippi Valley State (3-8, 1-0) 92, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-12, 0-1) 50
Itta Bena, Miss. - Five players scored in double figures as Mississippi Valley State blistered Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Lenise Stallings led the onslaught with 18 points and seven rebounds. Ka'Neshia Smith added 17 points, while Davina Jefferson finished with 13, Olivia Kennedy 12 and Alia Frank 11. Jenise Gentry was the lone UAPB player in double figures with 13 points. MVSU dominated from start to finish, leading 51-21 at halftime and outscoring UAPB 41-29 in the second half. The Devilettes shot .477 for the game, while UAPB couldn't throw it in the ocean, hitting only 14-of-57 (.246) fieldgoal attempts.
Grambling State (5-6, 1-0) 62, Alabama State (3-7, 0-1) 48
Grambling, La. - Grambling took advantage of 27 turnovers by Alabama State, jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a win. Tonieshwa Mack led GSU with 16 points and Jasher Blocker added 11. Ashley Jones had 12 points to lead Alabama State. Tamara Washington contributed 11 points and six rebounds.
Thursday's SWAC Women's Schedule
Alcorn State at Prairie View A&M / 5:30 p.m.
Southern at Texas Southern / 5:30 p.m.
Alabama A&M at Grambling / 5:30 p.m.
Alabama State at Jackson State / 5:30 p.m.
Mississippi Valley State vs. Rust / 6:00 p.m.
