The Southern women’s basketball team didn’t need any late-game heroics on Saturday.
The Jaguars dominated Alabama State in a decisive 73-56 win to take the SWAC title for the second straight season.
Head coach Carlos Funchess said he knew the game would be a battle, even after the Lady Jags built a 41‑19 halftime lead behind a 9‑0 opening run and a dominant rebounding edge.
“I told them before the game, the team that controlled the rebounding edge was going to win,” he said in the postgame press conference. “We did that in the first half, built a big lead, and I knew they were going to make a run—and they did.”
Guard Jocelyn Tate, wearing the sweat and emotion of another successful SWAC championship run, echoed the sentiment. “Well, I knew it was going to be a battle,” she said, smiling. “We did a good job coming out executing. I thought we controlled the boards, and that was huge for us. When we’re grabbing those rebounds, we’re controlling the tempo.”
Southern earned title with help from everywhere
Southern was led by a balanced offensive effort, with multiple players contributing in double figures. Guard Zaria Hurston led the Jaguars with 13 points.
Olivia Delancy added 12 points and D’Shantae Edwards chipped in 11 points for the Jaguars. Tate grabbed five rebounds and Jaylia Reed controlled the offense and tempo with five assists.
For Delancy, the win was personally emotional. “I’m just really thankful right now,” she said. “It’s surreal. I’m proud of my team and proud of us for sticking through it. Coming in the tournament as the four‑seed, it was hard; we were overlooked. But we never gave up on each other, and we always stuck together—that’s really important for us.”
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Tate, coming off the bench, accepted that her role isn’t always about scoring, but about impact. “People see numbers, but I know my job is to bring energy, defense, and rebounding,” said Tate, who hit the semifinal game-winner versus Florida A&M 24 hours earlier. “When I go in, I want to make sure the team never loses its momentum. That’s what we’ve been built to do—wave after wave.”
SWAC title is only beginning of postseason chase
For the Jaguars, the title is more than a trophy—it’s back‑to‑back SWAC crowns and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
“Knowing we can go back and try to make more history, maybe even knock off a number one seed, that’s the goal,” Tate said. “We’re not done; we’re just getting started. This team has the heart and the fight to keep writing our story.”
As the Jaguars celebrated around the bench, the prevailing message from players was simple: championships come from chemistry, not just talent.
“We stayed together through turmoil, through losses, through doubt,” Delancy said. “Now we’re standing on the other side, holding this trophy. It’s not just about today—it’s about everything we went through to get here.”
