On Feb. 26,just one week after the Southern University women’s basketball team defeatedAlabama State 64-62 on Tiffany Jones’ game-winning jumper, the Jaguars’ had tosuffer the agony — or perhaps irony — of defeat.
Before a crowdof 2,434 fans in the F.G. Clark Activity Center, Alcorn State center TnoneaylarPowers end-of-the-game buzzer-beater from the free throw line put the LadyBraves ahead of the Jaguars 57-55 and sealed fate of the last home game inSouthern’s season.
“I wasn’tthinking,” said Powers, the 5’11” forward from Colbert, Ga. “I just shot theball, said a prayer, and hoped that it went in.”
In front of2,434 anxious Jaguar fans, Saturday evening, in the F.G. Clark Activity Center,the Southern University women’s basketball team) was defeated by Alcorn StateUniversity 55-57 (17-7, 13-3 SWAC).
Though juniorguard Rolanda Moore tied the game at 55 with 26 seconds left in the game,Southern (12-13, 9-7 SWAC) could not contain their generous defense to preventthe win.
“I’m angry,but angry isn’t going to get me what I want,” said Jags’ head coach Sandy Pughafter the loss. “That was our game and we gave it to them.”
Southern, whowas 24 of 50 from the field, lost to the Lady Braves by a much more convincingscore of 64-54 on Jan. 29.
Lady Braveshead coach Shirley Walker said that she knew that the outcome would differ fromthe last meeting and that Monroe’s game, led by Pugh would be tough toovercome.
“I knew thatthis game was going to be tougher then the last time we met. It was obviousthat Southern had gotten much better,” Walker said. “Monroe has stepped up hergame, and Coach Pugh is a great coach with an excellent coaching staff, so Iknew that we would have a challenge.”
Monroe shot anot-so-hot 9 of 21 from the field. Pugh said that she didn’t see muchimprovement in the other members of the squad either.
“Rolanda putus in a good position to win, but I felt that the other girls didn’t do whatthey needed to do,” she said.
The women willenter their final regular season stretch in Houston when they face off withTexas Southern on March 3 and Prairie View A&M on March 5. Both games areset to begin at 5:30 p.m.
“We’ve donevery well the last two games, but mentally we are not all there. These kidsneed to learn how to win. We have to make shots, and not depend on Rolanda tomake all of the shots,” said Pugh.
