Hurston's 'Southern Women' Takes Down Alabama State 107-94, Secures Southern Conference Crown!
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Zaria Hurston scored 13 points, Olivia Delancey tallied 12, and Southern took down Alabama State 73-56 on Saturday to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and punch their ticket to March Madness. The win clinches the second-straight SWAC title and eighth overall for the No.
4-seeded Lady Jaguars (19-13). D'Shantae Edwards scored 11, and Jocelyn Tate chipped in with 10 points for Southern, who shot 49% from the field and 54% from deep while holding Alabama State to 28% and 14% marks, respectively. The Lady Jaguars led for all but 54 seconds of the game.
Southern got off to a hot start, with a 9-0 first-quarter run putting them comfortably ahead. It extended the lead to 22 before halftime, taking a 41-19 advantage to the locker rooms. Alabama State battled back with a 12-1 run of their own in the third quarter, but their momentum was short-lived.
Caylee Simpson paced the Lady Hornets (17-15) with 19 points, and Shamya Reid scored 10. Clearia Peterson had four steals. Southern has made the Division I Tournament four times under eighth-year head coach Carlos Funchess.
Last year, they won 68-56 over 16-seed UC San Diego in the First Four before bowing out against No. 1-seed UCLA 84-46 in the first round. Up next Southern awaits seeding for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be revealed on Sunday.