One of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s biggest rivalalries will be battling it out for the last time in regular season: Grambling State University and Southern University.
The Saturday home game is definitely one of the biggest games of the year.
SU’s Lady Jaguars have been very successful this season, remaining at No. 1 in SWAC for the past few weeks. A lot comes from them having the top scoring offense, field goal percentage, and 3-point percentage in SWAC.
Southern will not have it easy.
The Lady Tigers have achieved a lot of success this season as well. Grambling has the No. 2 scoring offense, No. 3 in field-goal percentage, and the No. 1 scorer in the SWAC.
On Jan. 11, which was the last time these ladies went head to head, Joanna Miller, leading scorer in the conference, scored a season high of 37 points, but Grambling lost by only eight points after being down by almost 30.
Grambling will be on the lookout for Kendra Coleman, No. 23 for the Lady Jaguars. She averages 17.5 points per game. Also Judea Brundidge, No. 5 who shoots 72 percent from the field.
Southern averages 74.1 points a game while giving up 71.5 points.
Grambling just might go into this game with a little more confidence after ending their road trip with a win against Mississippi Valley State University.
Game time is Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center.
The Lady Tigers defeated MVSU’s Devilettes 67-59 Monday night.
Miller had another outstanding night with 29 points.
Dennisha Chambers, Jasmine Godbolt and Tyler Anderson each added 10 points.
Grambling and Mississippi Valley were not giving up on each other in the first half. The largest lead was six when MVSU drained two 3-pointers to begin the game. Miller answered right back with two 3-pointers as well tying the game 6-6.
The game went on to tie five more times in the first half then a layup by MVSU’s Christina Reed with 20 seconds left put Grambling down 29-27 at half time.
The second half went pretty much the same way as they tied the game six times. A 2-point shot by Anderson at 7:09 in the half broke the tie for the last time of the night. Grambling won by their largest lead of the game: eight points.
The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff captured their first win of the SWAC on Saturday as the defeated the Lady Tigers 64-58.
Grambling gave up 21 points off of turnovers in Saturday’s matchup, which contributed tremendously in their loss.
At 6:15 left in the first half, Miller is injured causing her not to return for the remainder of the half.
In the second half, the Lady Tigers came out strong gaining their biggest lead of the half of seven. Unfortunately, that lead was soon lost after a layup from UAPB’s Charisse Carr at 13:09 to tie the game up 41-41.
The Lady Tigers would lose by 6 to UAPB.