TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 6 seed SUNO and No. 7 seed Wilberforce University secured spots in the quarterfinals of the 2025 HBCUAC Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship, holding off late surges by their opponents Wednesday at Stillman College’s Birthright Alumni Hall.
No. 6 Southern University at New Orleans 83, No. 11 Rust College 80
Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) took control in the second half. It staved off a late Rust College rally to earn an 83-80 victory in the opening round of the HBCUAC tournament.
Rust College jumped out to an early lead behind baskets from Jalin Thomas, Jordan Fordyce, Jayden Stephens and Justin Hicks. SUNO responded as Caleb Williams converted a layup, and Chaun Moore knocked down a jumper and a 3-pointer to tie the game at 16 with 8:04 remaining in the first half. Jamal Gibson added three buckets, and a 3-pointer from Tyon Thompson gave the Knights a seven-point advantage. SUNO led by four at halftime.
Rust briefly regained the lead at 50-49 on a Thomas 3-pointer early in the second half. However, SUNO answered with an 11-0 run as Rust was held scoreless for nearly six minutes. The Knights extended their lead to 20 with 6:52 left.
Rust mounted a late comeback. Hicks drilled three 3-pointers to cut the deficit to six with two minutes left. Arin Strother’s steal and layup brought Rust within two with 40 seconds remaining, but the Bearcats missed a potential game-tying shot in the closing moments.
Gibson recorded his 55th consecutive double-double with 25 points and 23 rebounds. Thompson led all scorers with 29 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-4 from 3-point range. He also dished out four assists alongside Moore, who added 14 points.
Hicks paced Rust with 20 points, hitting six 3-pointers. Isiah McCallum and Thomas contributed 16 and 14 points, respectively. Stephens notched a double-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and five steals.
SUNO advances to face No. 3 seed Dillard University in the quarterfinals Friday. Dillard swept the regular-season series.
No. 7 Wilberforce University 69, No. 10 Fisk University 63
Wilberforce University held off a second-half surge from Fisk University to claim a 69-63 victory in Wednesday’s opening round of the HBCUAC tournament.
The Bulldogs (14-13) controlled much of the first half, leading by four with under two minutes remaining. Cali Davis converted a three-point play with a layup and free throw, and baskets by Jesse Olverson Jr. and Jamir Hymes extended Wilberforce’s lead to 37-28 at the break.
Fisk (9-20) responded in the second half, cutting the deficit to three early. Doyel Cockrill III, the recently crowned HBCUAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-HBCUAC selection, led the charge with three field goals in the first six minutes. His jumper with 7:58 left brought Fisk within one.
Wilberforce pushed back. Nekthy James converted a layup and three-point play, while Preston Steele’s layup and a Hymes 3-pointer stretched the lead to nine with 5:45 to play. Olverson added two buckets in the final two minutes to push the margin to double digits.
Davis recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Wilberforce. Olverson added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Hymes contributed nine points, six rebounds, and three assists. Steele finished with eight points and five boards.
Cockrill led all scorers with 34 points for Fisk, sinking nine field goals. Michael Ashley grabbed 16 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive end. Lucious Jackson and Mitchel Seay each added seven points.
Wilberforce advances to face No. 2 seed Tougaloo College in the quarterfinals on Friday at 4 p.m. Tougaloo won their regular-season matchup 75-71 on the same court on Jan. 6.
