Despite being in a tight battle for most of the contest, third-seeded Philander Smith used a late surge to defeat No. 6 Tougaloo in a quarterfinal duel on Friday.
Both teams ramped up defensive pressure early in the first quarter with neither able to pull away by more than three points before the lead would change again. The end of the quarter would see the Lady Panthers gain an early 14-10 lead, behind a deep triple from the top of the arc by GCAC All-Defensive Team selection Myia Yelder with five seconds remaining on the clock.
The second quarter was a mixture of turnovers by both teams, along with the intensity of both crowds made a slight momentum shift between both teams, but the quarter was all Lady Panthers. Tougaloo struggled to find an offensive rhythm but saw bright spots from Khrystallyn Harkless, who completed an and-one play and a block from All-GCAC Second Team honoree Berniya Hardin. The Lady Panthers expanded their lead to double digits, going up 28-16 at the half, lifted by Yelder, who netted 14 of the points.
The Lady Bulldogs opened the third stanza with more intensity, using scrappy play to trim the point differential down to 10 points. The crowds continued to loudly rally both teams with every score and defensive stop. The quarter’s momentum started in the Lady Panther’s favor, but after key substitutions from both benches, and Yelder picking up a critical fourth foul, the Lady Bulldogs managed to redshift the momentum and cut their deficit. Key performances from Morgan Hunter and Mer’Cades Miller helped the Lady Bulldogs claw back into the ballgame, trailing 43-35 heading into the final period.
The final stanza saw the scoring gap narrow to single digits, 48-41, with a late surge from Tougaloo. By the midpoint of the quarter, the score was all the way down to five, but the Lady Panthers continued to respond to every blow the Lady Bulldog landed. A three from the corner and a turnaround right-hand hook from the block by Philander Smith’s Dasia Turner were the plays that ultimately put the game away for good and punched the Lady Panther’s ticket to the next round.
Yelder recorded a game-high 23 points and Turner notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Philander Smith. Tougaloo’s Hunter finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 boards while Miller added 11 points.
The No. 3 Philander Smith College Lady Panthers will face the No. 2 Fisk University Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, February 25 at 12 p.m. in the semifinals of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball Championship.
#5 DILLARD 58 def #4 WILEY 53
The upset energy lingered in Kroger Gymnasium as the No. 5 Dillard Lady Bleu Devils knocked off the fourth-seeded Wiley College Wildcats to earn a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
As the game tipped off the Lady Bleu Devils came in ready to play a gritty and intense defensive game. The Lady Bleu Devils, led by All-GCAC First and Defensive Team selection Arianna Hart, put an emphasis on capitalizing off of Lady Wildcat turnovers. As a result, Wiley had to work diligently to overcome being outscored 11-2 to open the contest. The Lady Wildcats ended the quarter on a 7-4 run to cut into Dillard’s lead, 19-9.
The second quarter was a defensive slugfest with the momentum shifting in favor of the Lady Wildcats. Wiley continued their run from the first quarter with a 10-3 run to cut the lead down to only single digits. Coming down to the midpoint of the second quarter, the momentum swung back into Dillard’s favor, thanks to defensive stops by Ayani Crockwell and Taylor Dewitt. With the aid of a deep two-point jump shot from the right wing by Asia Dawson, Dillard pushed their lead even further. A shot from downtown by Wiley’s Kaitlyn Davis, who was tabbed All-GCAC Second Team, trimmed the gap to five; 31-26, with seconds left. The teams carried the same score into the break.
The third quarter was all Wiley as they cut the lead down to three points, thanks to forced turnovers and big shots by All-GCAC Second Team honoree Diamond Hawthrone. The Lady Bleu Devils would respond and silence the crowd, after every Wiley basket. Towards the midpoint of the frame, the momentum was very even, as neither team could grab a hold of a huge lead. Suddenly, a trey from the left wing by Davis cut Dillard’s lead down to a single point. The lead would remain one point as every time the Lady Bleu Devils scored, the Lady Wildcats always had an answer. The quarter concluded with a 13-12 run by the Lady Wildcats led by Hawthorne, who would make a drop-step layup to give Wiley their first lead of the game, however, the quarter would end, knotted at 46.
The final stanza was a low-scoring affair. By the midpoint of the quarter, Wiley had only managed to pull away by one point but either side could hold the lead for long stretches. The game was knotted up at 53 all with 60 seconds left on the clock. Clutch free throws and a pair of steals by Hart gave Dillard a five-point edge into the final seconds of regulation. The stunning flurry sealed the win 58-53 for the Lady Bleu Devils and lifted them into the semifinals on Saturday.
Dillard’s Taylor Dewitt logged a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 10 boards, followed by Hart with 13 points. Davis poured in 16 points while Hawthorne finished with her own double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for Wiley.
The No. 5 Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils will face the No. 1 Rust Lady Bearcats on Saturday, February 25 at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball Championship.
Fans may watch the entire 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Tournament live on the free HBCU League Pass+ app, available in both the Google and iOS app stores. Game-by-game updates will be available on the conference’s social media accounts.