The Southern University Lady Jaguars became the third HBCU to emerge victorious in the NCAA's First Four tournament after a decisive victory over Samford. Both teams were battling for the 16-seed in the Field of 64, where the winner would face Dawn Staley and the powerhouse South Carolina Lady Gamecocks.
Heading into the game, Southern University had not only won the SWAC championship, but they also boasted decisive out-of-conference victories against Houston and Arizona to start the season. The Jaguars proved they haven't missed a beat with their well-rounded offensive and defensive attack, featuring several Lady Jaguars who contributed to the 65-53 victory.
Jaylia Reed led scorers for Southern University with 16 points and three 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Demya Porter had a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Porter and Reed received help from Jocelyn Tate, who had 10 points and also crashed the boards by getting 7 rebounds. D’Shantae Edwards had an all-around phenomenal game; although Edwards did not score in double figures, she showed her prowess on the defensive end by having 5 steals.
At points, the game was too close for comfort. Southern, at the start of the game, hopped out to a 9-2 lead with 5 minutes and 32 seconds left in the first quarter. But Samford fought back, tying the game at 11-11 early in the second quarter. Both teams traded buckets heading into halftime until early in the third quarter, when a Briana Rivera 3-pointer gave Samford a 31-30 lead.
They held onto the lead for a few minutes until the mid-third quarter, when Jocelyn Tate converted on a layup to tie the game 36-36, and then Jestiny Dixon nailed a pull-up jumper to put Southern University back on top. The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair until Southern started to pull away midway through the fourth quarter.
Southern delivered an onslaught of points after being down 51-49 with 7 minutes and 17 seconds left in the game and held Samford to only 2 points as they scored 10 unanswered points. With Samford unable to stop the run, the Lady Jaguars pulled away with the 65-53 victory.
Now they play a South Carolina team led by standout players such as Raven Johnson, who look to avenge their loss in the National Championship to UConn from last season.
