Some humps are not meant to get over: Grambling beats Southern

While some matchups have been dubbed the term ‘rivalry,’ others are known simply as legendary. Since the year 1986, Southern University and Grambling State University have faced off against each other 77 times with Southern claiming 45 of those victories. The F.G. Clark activity center saw a season-record number of over 4,000 eager fans from both schools ready to see the tourney unfold before their eyes.
The women’s game started the electrifying night with Southern winning the tip-off. The Lady Jags showed tough defense in the first quarter forcing 3 consecutive turnovers which they were able to score off of. Junior guard, Aniya Gourdine, showcased an impressive pickpocket steal which continued the game’s momentum, both teams tied at 12 going into the second quarter.
Although the top of the quarter looked promising for the Lady Jaguars, the Lady Tigers from Grambling State’s front-court defense constantly put the Lady Jaguars’ offense out of position. However, not much damage was done as the Lady Jaguars were able to keep the lead going into the half, 31-27.
Much regrouping was needed in the 2nd half of the game as the Lady Jaguar’s weaknesses were on full display. This would be the 7th game where 3/5 starters shot under 50% from the field in the first half. This would continue to reign true in the 3rd quarter. The Lady Tigers would go on a 5-0 run closing the point difference. At 5:03, the score stands at 35-33. Laxed playing combined with shots just not falling into the hole from the Jaguars, the Lady Tigers take the lead, 39-36.
Once reality set in that this was a give-it-your-all or-go-home situation, that’s when the reigning conference champions came out and played. The 4th quarter was the type of game the audience was looking for. The Lady Jaguars had the momentum on their side after a tough start, but could not get through the tall Grambling defense wall. Back-to-back possessions allowed for the game to be decided by 2 with the Lady Tigers leading. Unfortunately, there are only 4-10-minute quarters in NCAA regulation, and the Jaguars’ surge was too late in the game. The game concluded with the score 57-59 with the Lady Tigers winning.
The men, however, continued with the electricity spirit resonating at the beginning of the men’s first half. The game started with the Tigers winning the tip-off. After equal possessions, the Jaguars were having trouble driving the ball in the paint due to the tall Grambling front court, something that seemed to be consistent between both games. There were issues following through on layups, but that problem was undoubtedly fixed with redshirt senior guard, Brandon Davis, going 4/5 from the 3-point line. The Jaguars continued to assert dominance going on a 9-3 scoring run to end the 1st half—Jaguars, 37, Tigers, 28.
With the height they displayed in the first half, you would think after some rest and play evaluation the Jaguars would continue to give the audience the game of the day. However, going into the 2nd half it was clear that the Jaguars’ biggest issue is there is no true offensive identity. Junior guard, Tidjane Dioumassi, displayed poor decision making going 0/7 which undoubtedly hurt the team’s confidence. At 9:10, the score stood at Jaguars, 45, Tigers, 50.
This ongoing theme of no offensive standouts allowed for the Tigers to pull away 3 times within the last 5 minutes, forcing the Jaguars to play catch-up. The home-court advantage did not work in the Jaguars favor with the game ending 57-63. When asked about the loss, freshman guard, Jordan Johnson, said: “If we see them again it definitely won’t be the same outcome, but I feel like they out-toughed us in both games. So, we just have to stick to what we know (and) not let them change who we are and what we do. If we have a lead as we did in both games, just stick to doing what we did that got us that lead and stick with it throughout the whole game, not just for a period of the game.”