COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — In a commanding display of skill, senior Tionna Lidge helped lead No. 1 seed Southern to a resounding victory over Alcorn State, with a final score of 64-44 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament on Saturday night. Lidge’s remarkable performance, featuring 11 points and 10 rebounds, marked her first career double-double. This victory secured Southern (20-14) a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the program’s history, continuing a trend that began in 2002.
Southern’s game plan was bolstered by contributions from DaKiyah Sanders and Soniyah Reed, who each scored 11 points to fortify the team’s effort. The pacing of the match shifted late in the first quarter; Destiny Brown briefly put Alcorn State ahead with a jumper just 15 seconds into the second quarter, giving the Braves a 22-20 lead. However, Southern shut down the Braves’ scoring for more than seven minutes, during which five Jaguars contributed to a decisive 14-0 run, including vital 3-pointers from Reed and Taniya Lawson. Southern capitalized on this momentum, leading 36-24 at halftime.
Ranked as the No. 6 seed, Alcorn State (14-18) struggled to find their rhythm on the court. Although they had defeated Southern 59-55 in overtime earlier in the season on February 1, their performance faltered during this crucial game. They managed just 2 of 10 field goals and were 0 of 5 from 3-point range in the second quarter, while committing seven turnovers. This resulted in them being outscored 16-4 during this crucial period.
Despite efforts to close the gap, Alcorn State found themselves trailing 38-31 after Sharmayne Finley scored a jumper early in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the Braves, they could not narrow the margin any further. Brown stood out as Alcorn State’s top scorer with 12 points and three blocks, while Finley added 11 points and Nakia Cheatham contributed significantly with 11 rebounds and six points.
Southern, which led the SWAC with a scoring defense average of 57.3 points per game and was ranked No. 28 nationally for forcing turnovers (averaging 20.2 per game), held Alcorn State to one of their lowest-scoring games this season. The Braves had previously been limited to 41 points in a significant loss to No. 25 Mississippi back in December.
