SU men romp past G-Men; women fall in tight game

One was left stunned and the other came away victorious in Saturday’s rival matchup between Southern and Grambling State inside the F.G. Clark Activity Center.
The Lady Jags were favorites heading into Saturday’s game, but they left the court in disbelief. The 36-35 loss snapped the Jags’ 3-game win streak as Grambling swept the season series.
Meanwhile, the SU men avenged its heartbreaking loss at Grambling by blasting GSU 68-57.
Heading into the women’s game, the Jags were to play mistake free basketball, and score more points on the inside. SU forced Grambling to turn the ball over eight times, which lead to a 7-1 Jaguar run. But the Tigers climbed their way back into the game, taking the lead 12-13 with 5:03 left before halftime.
With 4:36 remaining in the half an offensive struggle lead to five SU turnovers and forced the jags to score it’s last basket with one second left on the game clock.
SU opened the second half having a hard time holding on to the ball, leading to four unanswered points for GSU.
Leading scorer, senior guard Deidra Jackson, would take control of the game, scoring a lay-up with 17:03 remaining. Jackson finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four steals.
SU’s bench stepped up to play also as freshman guard Carneta Henderson and junior forward Ashley Augerson, came off the bench to play crucial minutes and account for 10 points, seven steals, and six rebounds.
Freshman forward Sabrina Scott, who previously scored a season high 16 points against Alcorn State, was held to just two points, three blocks and eight rebounds.
With three lead changes and four ties, the game would remain close until the final minutes of the half. Junior guard Tenesha Brown, had a big night, scoring eight points in the second half, hitting two three-pointers, rallying the Jags 32-33 with 4:56 remaining in the game. Brown would later hit two clutch free-throws which would tie the game at 35-35 with 1:54 left until end of regulation.
An SU foul sent the Tigers’ Rachele Dobbins to the free-throw line, where she would make her first attempt, giving GSU a 36-35 lead with three seconds remaining in the game.
After missing the second free throw, Jackson grabbed the rebound only to miss at half court, ending the game 36-35.
The loss kept the Lady Jags at No. 2 in SWAC behind Prairie View, who they defeated earlier this season.
On the men’s side, the Jags entered the contest holding the No. 5 spot in SWAC play, and just one win shy of .500, but SU would have to come out on top to stay alive.
The Tiger’s opened the contest sprinting to their largest lead of the night of eight points, coming with just 12:37 remaining in the half. Sophomore forward Barry Honore’, who finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds hit a three-pointer from the top of the key, slowing down the Tigers’ attack.
“We’re playing for a place in the SWAC tournament, working hard in practice puts us in position,” said Honore’.
On SU’s next possession, Honore’ brought the crowd to life with a slam dunk over a GSU defender with an assist from junior guard Steffon Wiley.
“Playing with confidence has helped us play to our full potential,” Honore’ said.
SU trailed the Tiger’s through most of the first half. Junior forward Douglas Scott, who also finished with 14 points with six rebounds, hit a big shot which tied the game at 26 with 5:56 remaining in the half.
“My first shot felt good, I knew I was going to have a big night”, said Scott.
Senior guard Geri Guillory ended the first half ripping the ball away from a GSU player and dishing a pass to Wiley for an easy lay-in, which capped a 10-0 run.
The Jags later pulled away in the 2nd half, seeing their lead swell to 17 with 4:11 remaining.
Senior guard Chris Davis had solid night and managed the clock late in the game, finishing the contest with 15 points, six rebounds, two steals and one block.
“We played good as a team, we can still play better on defense,” Scott said.
Sophomore Julius Ingram came off the bench with a dramatic first half lay-up, finishing the contest with nine points and five rebounds.