SWAC Basketball Tournament Recaps: Day 2

Women’s Tournament

#7 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 63, #2 Southern 58
GARLAND, Texas – The No. 7 seeded University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff scored 32 points in the paint to upset No. 2 seed Southern University, 63-58, on Wednesday at the Curtis Culwell Center.

UAPB (13-17) advances to the semifinals of the 2013 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament and will face the winner of the Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M match up on Friday.

Asia Rhines-Malone, Chigozianyi Okwumbua, Jenise Gentry, and Christina Lasane powered the Lady Lions’ balanced scoring.

Rhines-Malone finished with a double-double, 13 points and 11 rebounds. Okwumbua followed with 12 points with Gentry and Lasane chipping in 10 points apiece.

UAPB shot 40 percent overall and dominated the boards 51-31.

SU (13-17) was led by Jasmine Jefferson’s 16 points. Kendra Coleman added 12 points and Laneisha Stephens tied a game-high 11 rebounds.

UAPB led 21-31 at the break after using a 13-3 run to close out the half. Southern closed the gap 60-55 with 35 seconds remaining.

Down the stretch, Okwumabua and Rhines-Malone countered the Lady Jaguars’ charge with free throws to help UAPB hold on for the win.

#1 Texas Southern 68, #9 Grambling State 58
GARLAND, Texas – Texas Southern University held off Grambling State’s run to claim a 68-56 win on Wednesday at the Curtis Culwell Center.

TSU (20-10) moves on to the semifinals of the 2013 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament and will meet the winner of the Prairie View A&M – Jackson State match-up.

Freshmen Te’era Williams and Brianna Sidney combined for 49 points to power TSU’s offense. Williams tied a game-high with 27 points. She hit 10-of-13 from the floor and tacked on nine rebounds.

Sidney followed with 22 points and Crystal Anyiem pulled in 11 boards. TSU shot 52 percent overall including 38 percent from long range.

For a consecutive night, Joanna Miller was the catalyst for GSU registering 27 points and eight rebounds. Victoya Ricks added a double-double, hitting 5-of-10 for 13 points, while pulling in 10 boards.

TSU led 38-22 at halftime before GSU (9-23) used an 18-8 run to shrink the gap 46-40 with 10:59 remaining. GSU closed within two points of the lead at the 9:42 (48-46) and 8:44 (50-48) marks.

However, Sidney scored five points hitting a three-pointer with 4:46 remaining to help TSU strengthen its advantage, 58-54.

In the closing minutes, TSU held GSU to two points while scoring 10 to close out the game.

Men’s Tournament
#6 Alabama A&M 59,  #8 Grambling State 51
GARLAND, Texas – The No. 6 seed Alabama A&M University opened the men’s portion of the 2013 Toyota SWAC Basketball Tournament with a 59-51 win over No. 7 Grambling State on Wednesday inside the Curtis Culwell Center.

Brandon Ellis, Demarquelle Tabb, and Green Hill helped AAMU (11-19) move on to the semifinal round to meet No. 1 seeded Southern University on Friday.

Ellis scored 19 pints hitting 7-of-13. Tabb posted a double-double with 15 points and and a game high 15 rebounds. Hill added 11 points and six assists.

The Bulldogs shot 40 percent and claimed the edge in rebounds, 41-36.

SWAC Freshman of the Year, Terry Rose, led all scorers and GSU (0-28) with 22 points connecting 7-of-19 from the field.

GSU hit 41 percent in the first half but before shooting 24 percent in the second and 32 percent for the game.

With a 47-45 lead and 5:00 minutes left to play, the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 19-4.