Southern University women's basketball pulled off a phenomenal upset victory over the previously undefeated Arizona Wildcats, winning a hard-fought contest 63-57. The Lady Jaguars entered the game with a challenging 1-4 record, having suffered losses to highly ranked opponents, including third-ranked UCLA, but they proved they were on a mission. Both men's and women's SWAC basketball teams have fared well in out-of-conference competition, so the Jaguars knew the win was very much possible. But Southern did more than win; they controlled the game against one of the hottest teams to start the season.
The Lady Jaguars won three of the four quarters against the Lady Wildcats and successfully withstood a third-quarter barrage where Arizona scored 22 points in a ferocious comeback attempt. Southern’s victory was powered by a collective effort, led by DaMya Porter, who finished the game with 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting. However, Southern's true advantage came from their bench scoring. They finished the game with 35 bench points to Arizona's 10, and capitalized on turnovers, scoring 25 points off turnovers to Arizona's 14.
Southern established dominance early, even leading by double digits midway into the second quarter after a shot by Jestiny Dixon put the team up 27-11. Arizona then began its comeback attempt, and the two teams engaged in a tug-of-war for the lead throughout the second half. Ultimately, the Lady Jaguars regained the advantage and played keepaway against Arizona to secure the 63-57 victory.
The Lady Jaguars are set to face the University of Houston on Sunday at 2 p.m. EST, with the game broadcast on ESPN+.
