BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 2 seed Alabama State and No. 3 seed Southern will meet for the third time Friday morning at Bartow Arena with a berth in the championship game at the 2021 Cricket Wireless Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Basketball Tournament on the line.
Alabama State (15-3) earned their berth in the semifinals behind a combined 60 points from Ayana Emmanuel and Shmya Ward in their 85-69 quarterfinal win over Texas Southern Wednesday morning. Emmanuel poured in a career-high 32 points, while Ward added 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, Southern defeated Alcorn State 73-59 Friday morning behind 18 points from Amani McWain and 13 from Genovea Johnson.
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The two teams met twice this season with the Lady Jags winning both games, including a 60-56 win in Montgomery despite Emmanuel and Ward combining for 38 points and 18 rebounds at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome. They met in Baton Rouge back on February 22 when Southern pulled out a 64-47 victory with Jayla Crawford leading the way with 18 for the Lady Hornets.
The game tips at 11 am Friday and can be seen on ESPN3 and it will also be carried on the Hornet Sports Network.
Courtesy: Alabama State Athletics