A Marathon of a Night: SU vs. Alabama A&M Doubleheader

All eyes were on the F.G. Clark Activity Center for senior night. It was a series of intense and emotional moments as the men’s and women’s basketball teams hosted a doubleheader. Both teams squared off against Alabama A&M for the final game of the regular season. It was bittersweet for the seniors as it was their last time playing as a jaguar at home. As a result, both squads were looking to reign victorious going into the SWAC tournament next week.
The girls tipped off at 3:00 PM, and for the most part, the girls controlled the tempo throughout most of the game. Led by senior guard Genovea Johnson and sophomore guard Aleighyah Fontenot, the Lady Jags (15-14, 12-6 in conference) cruised through the first half leading by seven with a score of 34-27.
At halftime, Johnson and Fontenot had an impressive 8 and 9 points. Senior guard Taylor Williams also added 7 points toward the halftime total. The Lady Jags played tremendously well on the defensive end, turning that defense into offense. They scored 10 points off turnovers and held a lead of eleven at one point.
In the second half, the Lady Bulldogs (14-14, 12-6 in conference) began to make a push towards the end of the third. That’s when things started to heat up as both teams had to be pulled apart after an exchange of words from opposing sides.
Going into the fourth, the Lady Bulldogs pulled within one, but the Lady Jags kept their composure and rallied together. Genovea would go on a relentless path to the basket scoring 6 points in the fourth, helping her team push a 13-3 run. The women eventually beat the Bulldogs with a score of 66-53, sending the seniors off with a win in their last regular season at home.
Since the regular season is over, the girls are now focused on the SWAC tournament. “I know without a doubt, in my mind, if we play good basketball, quality basketball on both ends of the court and execute, knock down shots, and rebound the basketball we can win the tournament. I said that from day one, and I really believe it,” said Coach Funchess about the upcoming tournament. With the win, the Lady Jags are the 4th seed in the SWAC Tournament, holding the tie-breaker over Prairie View A&M, who they will face on March 9th at 5:30 P.M. in Birmingham, Alabama, at Bartow Arena.
On the men’s end, there was a plethora of events; that transpired before the game could even take place. The power in the mini dome went out as the campus experienced a power outage. With the game having severe implications for the standings, officials did everything in their power to get the lights back on. Eventually, the power would be restored, and the game took place at around 7 p.m. The Jags, however, would struggle throughout most of the game. For the majority of the first half, Alabama A&M looked phenomenal and did a great job of creating shot opportunities for their teammates. On the other hand, the Jags did not get a lot of separation from the defenders, causing a lot of contested shots, on top of not getting stops on the defensive end.
In the second half, the Jaguars regrouped and then went on a run knocking down the Bulldog’s lead one possession at a time. Graduate guard Brion Whitley would overcome a terrible shooting slump scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half, assisting the Jags in the comeback. In the winding moments of the game, with the score being 64-61, redshirt senior guard/forward Tyrone Lyons glided to the goal making a dunk and getting fouled in the process. He went on to attempt the free throw but heartbreakingly missed. However, Southern was given another opportunity to go to overtime, but could not get the shot off, falling short 66-63. The Jags shot an abysmal 3-23 from three-point range and were outscored on the bench 27-12. When asked about the game, Coach Woods was honest and modest. “This was very, very, strange, that’s all I could say, this was strange. I don’t want to judge my team off of this because this was a strange day.” With the loss, the Jags are going into the SWAC tournament in fourth place and may have to play Alabama A&M again. Coach Woods left saying, “We’ll be ready. We’ll be ready to play.”
The SWAC tournament is coming up, so let’s continue to support our teams as they try to bring back glory on the hardwood. Fun fact, Southern has not won the SWAC tournament since 2016. Jag Nation hopes that will change. Southern will be the 4th seed and will face Alabama A&M on March 9th at 8:30 P.M.