Jackson State's Tenacious Defense Sends The Lady Tigers To The SWAC Championship Game Against Alcorn State

Jackson State won by 22 points to punch its ticket to the 2024 Starry SWAC Women's Basketball Championship Game against Alcorn State.

The Jackson State Lady Tigers defeated the UAPB Lady Golden Lions, 70-48, in the 2024 Starry SWAC Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal game. A lively 1,072 fans watched at Bartow Arena as Ti'lan Boler scored 19 points and cleared the boards with seven rebounds to lead the Lady Tigers into the SWAC Championship Game against Alcorn State.

Andriana Avent (19), Angel Jackson (11), and Maya Crump (10) were in double figures. Jackson also cleared 12 rebounds and swatted six blocks, while Keshuna Luckett dished four assists in the victory.

UAPB's Kaila Walker scored 19 points, and Zaay Green scored 15 points in the loss.

FINAL SCORE‼️ The Tigers are headed to the SWAC Championship game tomorrow at 4:30pm versus Alcorn State🏀#TheeILove | #SWACWBB |#GoJSUTigersWBB🐅 pic.twitter.com/xbv5ysi4oy

— Jackson State Women’s Basketball (@GoJSUTigersWBB) March 16, 2024

FIRST HALF

JSU scored the first 10 points of the contest. At 5:35 in the first half, the Lady Golden Lions made a basket. They eventually rattled off an 8-1 run, but Jackson State's defense has been the game's story. The 2nd-leading scorer in the SWAC, Zaay Green, was limited to five points in the first half.

JSU head coach Tomekia Reed said before addressing her team in the locker room, "We saw Arkansas Pine Bluff shot the ball exceptionally well yesterday. So we want to make sure that we came out in defense of the three-point line and also be at the defense, of course, on the inside as well. I think what our defense and rebounding the ball is giving us an opportunity to be great on offense.

Jackson State scored 39% from the floor and held UAPB to 25%. JSU cleared the glass with 26 rebounds compared to the Lady Golden Lions' 17. Angel Jackson helped to dominate the paint as JSU led inside with 14 points to 4 scored by UAPB. Jackson missed six free throws in the half.

"I want to see us execute a little bit better right now we kind of just pushing the transition to just give them what they give us. But I want us to execute a little bit more down the stretch," Reed said.

Coach Tomekia Reed at the SWAC Women's semifinal versus UAPB. Credit: SWAC

SECOND HALF

The second half was much the same as the first half. UAPB never threatened JSU in the second half.

Jackson State used its deep bench, which netted 15 points and 12 second-chance points, to eventually pull away from UAPB. Avent and Boler scored 23 of the Lady Tigers' 32 second-half points.

Senior Zaay Green ended her career at Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Coach Dawn Thornton's bench only contributed six points in the game.

Tomekia Reed kept her word in preventing another semifinal letdown like the one JSU had against Southern last season in the tournament. It will be an "All-Mississippi Championship Game" as the No. 1 Jackson State will host No. 6 Alcorn State in the final contest. 

The tip-off will be at 4:30 PM CT inside Bartow Arena on Saturday, March 16. JSU opens as a heavy favorite. Will the Lady Tigers again hoist the SWAC Tournament Trophy?

We shall see.