The Lady Jaguars’ win Thursday night resembled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — not because of fairy-tale magic, but because of unity. The Lady Jaguars relied on depth and belief to defeat Florida A&M 80–61, marking a sharp turnaround from their previous meeting. In January, the ladies shot performance was below 35 percent against FAMU. This time, the Lady Jaguars improved to 43.1 percent, a sign that adjustments within the rotation and shot selection had taken hold. Sneakers squeaked across the paint as the Lady Jaguars opened the first quarter with poise. Jaylia Reed knocked down both free throws to give Southern an early lead. As the clock runs Mykayla Cunningham buried a three-pointer, and Olivia Delancey followed with another from beyond the arc. The Rattlers turnover turned into a steal by Jestiny Dixon, who finished in transition to cap a 16–7 first-quarter lead. The chasm widened in the second quarter as Southern’s bench provided a critical spark. Zaria Hurston entered and immediately delivered, knocking down a three-pointer before disrupting another possession with a steal. The pink and blue jerseys along the bench rose in unison, voices growing louder with every stop and score. Hurston closed the half with a block, and Southern carried a 36–21 advantage into the break.
“What really did it for me was my teammates. They believed in me, and that made me successful in everything that I did tonight” said Olivia Delancey, senior guard and former FAMU player. Delancey drilled back-to-back three-pointers in the third quarter, the net snapping sharply. Hurston added a fast-break layup while Cunningham controlled the glass, and by the end of the period, Southern had stretched the lead to 62–37.
Hurston reflected on Southern’s previous meeting with FAMU. “I had an attempt to tie the game and I missed it, and that stuck with me going into this game,” Hurston said.
Head coach Carlos Funchess credited the team’s variety for the surge.
“Even though we have one unit that starts, the five coming off the bench may be better in some areas than the five that started the game,” Funchess said.
The stands fill quickly. The Jaguars men’s basketball team runs out warming up as the Human Jukebox rendered a tune. But unlike the women’s earlier victory, the men faced a different challenge against Florida A&M. Southern was without key contributor Demariee Jones, prompting head coach Kevin Johnson to adjust the rotation.
The Jaguars opened with energy, as AJ Barnes knocked down an early three-pointer to spark the offense. Florida A&M responded, matching Southern’s intensity as both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes. Barnes connected on another three midway through the half, and Mike Jacobs added a free throw after drawing contact. Despite the early rhythm, Southern struggled to maintain consistency as the game progressed. PJ Doboul finished a fast-break layup off a pass from Jacobs, and Barnes followed with another transition basket seconds later. The Jaguars held a 15–9 lead midway through the half as both teams tightened defensively. Terrence Dixon answered with a dunk after Florida A&M responded on the other end, energizing the crowd as blue-and-yellow pom-poms waved and bells rang throughout the arena. Fahzl Oshadi connected from beyond the arc with under three minutes remaining, and Southern carried a narrow 33–32 lead into halftime. Southern did not dictate the tempo.
Southern’s one-point halftime lead quickly disappeared as Florida A&M opened the second half with consecutive three-pointers. The Rattlers extended the margin to double digits within the first five minutes, capitalizing on second-chance opportunities and defensive stops. Southern struggled to find consistent offense during the stretch, allowing Florida A&M to build a lead as large as 17 points midway through the half.
“They want the game in the ’60s. We need to play a little bit faster. We were not playing at the pace we needed to” said Coach Johnson.
The trombones blared as the crowd waited for Southern to respond.
Despite the deficit, Southern made a late push behind Cameron Amboree, who scored 14 points and went 7 for 10 from the free-throw line. His efforts trimmed the margin to 11 in the final minute leaving the score 71-82.
“Just the will to win,” Amboree said. “I wanted to win. We came up short, but I was trying my best to help my team get to victory.”
