After coming off a massive win by perennial powerhouse Jackson State 64-47, the Lady Jags were riding with extreme confidence, considering they won 7 of their first 8 conference games. However, they would face another familiar foe, the Alcorn State Lady Braves, who knocked the Lady Jags out of the SWAC Tournament last year. The Lady Jags looked to return the favor in the regular season.
It was a physical game throughout the contest, considering each quarter produced a fairly low number of points, and neither team established the momentum to pull away. The Lady Jags trailed the Lady Braves 22-23 after a defensive first half. Senior guard Soniyah Reed scored 10 points and shot 2-for-4 from the 3-point line in the first half. The Lady Jags aided their deficit to the Lady Braves by shooting 33 percent from the free throw line, 30 percent from the 3-point line, and 23.6 percent from the field.
The second half was like the first, but the Lady Jags made some crucial mistakes, including missed free throws and layups down the stretch, allowing the Alcorn State Lady Braves to have a glimmer of hope. However, the Lady Jags had a chance for a game-winner, with the game being tied at 50. Senior guard Aniya Gourdine attempted a layup with 39 seconds left, but Lady Brave rejected the shot. However, Gourdine got a steal followed by a Lady Jags’ timeout for another potential game-winner. The Lady Jags tried to get a shot off, but it was short of the goal, meaning overtime.
The Lady Jags appeared to run out of steam in overtime, scoring 5 points in the period, with 3 coming from free throws. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Lady Braves’ dominance at the free throw line, shooting 5-for-5. The Lady Jags would lose 59-55, dropping 7-2 in SWAC Conference play.
The Lady Jags shot 50 percent from the free throw line in overtime and 57.1 percent in the entire game, going 12-for-21. The Lady Braves shot 75.1 percent from the free-throw line in the game. The game experienced 12 lead changes and 10 ties. Alcorn State did have an advantage in capitalizing on mistakes, as they had 19 points off turnovers compared to Southern’s 15. Southern’s leading scorer was Aniyah Gourdine with 13 points, and senior center Tiona Lidge led the way in rebounding with 17 rebounds.
Head Coach Carlos Funchess provided insight into what happened to the Lady Jags down the stretch. “Well, I didn’t think we executed well down the stretch. That was the big thing. I thought the press kind of bothered us a little bit. We turned the ball over and gave up some easy buckets.” Coach Funchess also responded on whether the team was distracted due to the win against Jackson State. “No, I don’t think so…Coach Kilbert is a championship coach, so when you come to play his team, they are going to be well-prepared, and they going to fight, so you got to be prepared to fight as well.”
The Lady Jags will play against the Alabama State Lady Hornets on Thursday, February 6th, 2025, at 6 PM, in Montgomery, Alabama, at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
