A Tale of 2 Teams

A Tale of 2 teams is what perfectly describes the scene that took place in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. The women’s game started with a technical foul on the Southern University team for a time coordination delay. After the foul, taking notes from their previous losses, the Lady Jags started the game with fast-paced dominance that set the tone for the rest of the game. The Lady Jags struggled to get their shots in the rim with #44 senior forward Raven White. In the 2nd quarter, the Lady jags completely pulled away, not showing any remorse for the Lady Tigers. Going on a 7-0 run with 3:15 left in the 2nd quarter, the Lady Jags continued to play in unison to broaden the gap 32-17. The Lady Tigers had already started shaky, but it was evident in the 3rd quarter that this was a rebuilding year for them, having a 0 percentage in both field goals and shots from the 3pt line. The Lady jags ultimately brought it home for the city of Baton Rouge with a game-ending score of 70-52.
The Men’s game started the same way, with a technical foul on the Southern Jaguars due to a failed time coordination. From then, the Texas Southern Tigers took advantage of that extra point, and it was no turning back. The Jaguars struggled immensely to bypass the explosive Tiger offense, until 2 back-to-back dunks by #35 R-Sr. Guard Tyrone Lyons brought fire to the mini dome. The Jags then went on a 7-0 run to make the game a 1-point game, with the score standing at 14-15. The Tigers quickly put an end to that momentum with a redshirt freshman. Kolby Granger sank 2 from the 3pt, starting his night of greatness. Granger ended the night with an amazing, 29 points; a feat that surely surprised the Jags as they struggled to find a way to stay with him. The score at halftime stood at Jaguars- 29, Tigers- 37. Going into the 3rd quarter, it was clear the Jags needed to regroup quickly with their leading man, senior Guard P.J. Byrd, sitting on the bench due to getting 3 fouls just in the first half. Just as Byrd checked back in to help the Jags find some stability, the Tigers just continued to consistently drop the ball in the rim pulling away for a 12-point lead. As the game time dwindled and the Tigers essentially clutched a victory here in the boot, tensions arose between both teams, with junior forward Festus Ndumanya and junior forward Jordan Nicholas; both earning technical fouls. With 44.4 seconds left on the clock, the TSU tigers achieved their goal of stopping the Jaguars’ undefeated run at home to end the game 79-68.
After the game, we caught up with redshirt junior forward Terrell Williams Jr. During the postgame, his facial expression showed he meditated on the loss, as it was a tough pill to swallow. His leadership was showcased well during the interview, mentioning, “We have to stick to the script. They got going on us early, and we couldn’t find our rhythm. Sometimes we get undisciplined, and the dominos fell on us tonight.” The Jags will have to soak this one in, and regroup this week for the HBCU Classic game against bitter rival Grambling State on Saturday, February 18, 2023, at 3 P.M. on ESPN2.