The Southern University women’s basketball team will take its talents to Los Angeles as the HBCU conference champions head to the West Coast to battle a Big West foe in the University of California San Diego on March 19 in the First Four round of the women’s NCAA tournament.
The NCAA women’s selection committee awarded both the Jaguars and the Tritons a No. 16 seed on Sunday in the Spokane I regional. The winner of the Jaguars-Tritons’ clash will face the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, UCLA, at 10 p.m. ET on March 21 at Pauley Pavilion, an arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles.
The HBCU women’s basketball program will make its second women’s NCAA tournament appearance in the last three seasons under head coach Carlos Funchess and the program’s seventh since 2002. Southern (20-14) defeated Alcorn State 64-44 on Saturday in the Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s championship game to punch a ticket to this year’s field of 68.
SU by the numbers
Southern enters Wednesday’s matchup averaging 57.2 points per game while only allowing its opponents 58 points per contest—ranked 40th in the country—due to its stifling pressure on the ball throughout games. According to HerHoopsStats, the Jaguars sit in the top 25 nationally in turnover rate for their opponents (24.4%) while their steal rate (13.6%) ranks 16th in the country.
Aniya Gourdine and Soniyah Reed lead Southern in scoring. However, Funchess’ squad contains a plethora of players who contribute off the bench, a unit that averages 22.2 per game (46th nationally).
Strength in numbers
“We continually put pressure on you with depth,” Funchess said after Southern’s win in the SWAC tournament title game. “I mean, we can go 11 deep every game with quality players. …That’s the difference between us and a lot of other teams.”
Gourdine, who earned MVP of the 2025 SWAC women’s tournament, averages 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest. The Temple University transfer finished with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Jaguars’ win against the Braves.
Reed, a key contributor off the bench, averages 9.2 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc, second-best on the team behind Jocelyn Tate. The women’s All-SWAC tournament team selection tallied 11 of the Jaguars’ 28 bench points in the contest.
Like Southern, UC San Diego (20-15) has a stout defense. The Tritons only allow 59.1 points per contest—ranked 57th nationally—and sit 28th nationally in defensive rating (82.5), 23rd in steals per game, and 26th in forcing their opponents to commit turnovers (19.6 per game).
While Sumayah Sugapong leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals (14.9 ppg, 3.5 assists, 2.6 steals), the Tritons have a bevy of other players who provide key contributions to their on-court success. Gracie Gallegos (9.9 ppg) and Sabrina Ma (9.9 ppg) nearly average double digit point totals. Ma also creates havoc defensively, averaging 1.8 steals (third best on the team) while also shooting a team-best 34.3% from three-point range.
Other notable Triton players to watch for include Parker Montgomery, Kayanna Spriggs, and Junae Manhan.
The HBCU women’s basketball team will tip off in the First Four matchup of the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, March 19, at 9 p.m. EST on ESPNU.