NEW ORLEANS, La. (GCAConf.com) – Brandy Broome had another stellar game with 18 points, 13 rebounds, nine steals and five assists as she led top-seeded Southern University at New Orleans past No. 2 seed Xavier 55-47.
SUNO (22-4) last won the GCAC tournament in 2012 when they defeated Tougaloo in Little Rock, Ark. With the victory they earn the GCAC’s automatic bid to the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship in Independence, Mo., beginning March 18.
Xavier (18-15) was led by Trana Hopkins with 16 points and Vinnie Briggs added 10.
The Gold Nuggets led 25-22 at the half but SUNO turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. The Lady Knights held Xavier to 24 percent shooting after the break and 26 percent for the game.
It has been a historic season for SUNO as they set school records for most conference victories (13) and this is the first season the Lady Knights claimed the regular season and tournament titles.
“We had goals that we set for ourselves before the season and we’ve accomplished to big ones”, said head coach Elston King. “Getting past Xavier in their building is never easy, and we did it twice this year. Coach Browder had his team ready to play and they were able to take us out of our game at times, but we settled down and made the plays we had to on both ends to get the win. I’m so proud of this group and excited for what’s ahead.”
