COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Zaria Hurston scored 13 points, Olivia Delancey scored 12 and Southern University beat Alabama State 73-56 on Saturday to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and punch its ticket to March Madness.
The win gave the fourth-seeded Jaguars (19-13) their second straight SWAC title and eighth overall.
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D’Shantae Edwards scored 11 points and Jocelyn Tate added 10 for South, which shot 49 percent from the field and 54 percent from three-point range, while Alabama State shot 28 percent and 14 percent, respectively. The Lady Jaguars led for just 54 seconds in the game.
The Southern team got off to a hot start, going on a 9-0 run in the first quarter to easily take the lead. Before halftime, the team extended the lead to 22 points and entered the locker room with a 41-19 advantage.
Alabama State went on a 12-1 run in the third quarter, but their momentum was short-lived.
Caylee Simpson scored 19 points for the Hornets (17-15) and Shamya Reid added 10 points. Clearia Peterson had 4 steals.
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Southern has reached Division I four times under eight-year head coach Carlos Funches. Last year, they defeated No. 16 seed UC San Diego 68-56 in the Final Four before losing to No. 1 seed UCLA 84-46 in the first round.
Next
Southern University is awaiting seeding for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, which will be announced Sunday. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Wednesday and Thursday, before the first round begins on Friday.
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