BY BRANDON KING
On the eve of SWAC conference play, HBCU Sports takes a dive into each of the 12 teams involved in what will be a competitive conference once again.
Bethune-Cookman
At 9-4, heading into conference play, the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats are just two wins away from equaling the 11 wins they amassed in the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign. Coach Janell Crayton’s club leads the conference in several statistical categories, including scoring defense (57.3 ppg), margin (+12.5), opponent field goal percentage (37.1%), opponent three-point percentage (23.8%), turnover margin (+8.31).
The Wildcats have been able to turn up the defensive pressure on opponents, forcing 13.54 steals per contest, and have been disruptive to offenses, holding 8 of their 13 opponents to sub-38 % shooting from the floor. Four Wildcats players average at least 9.2 points per contest: Chanelle McDonald (9.2 ppg), Kayla Clark (9.5 ppg), Kerrighan Dunn (9.8 ppg), and leading scorer Chanel Wilson (13.1 ppg).
The Wildcats take on FAMU in their conference opener.
Grambling State
After finishing last season with a 10-20 record, the Grambling Tigers have shown signs of taking a step forward, as they wrapped up non-conference play with a 6-5 overall record, including a quality win over Arizona State. The Tigers boast the conference’s longest current winning streak at two games. That most recent win was a 159-18 decimation of the College of Biblical Studies; the 141-point margin of victory set a new record for Division I women’s basketball, surpassing the record set back in 2018 when then-MEAC member Savannah State defeated Wesleyan 155-26.
Grambling ranks No.1 in both offense (80.7 ppg) and defense (57.3 ppg), leads the conference in steals (14.36 per game), and second in margin at a +12.2 Sophomore shooting guard DeMya Young leads the Tigers in scoring, putting 12.3 points per contest. Although Grambling ranks second in the SWAC in turnover margin, with a +5.91, they average 20.6 turnovers per contest, with a season-high of 33 in their 106-74 loss at Houston.
Grambling opens SWAC play against Prairie View.
Jackson State
The Lady Tigers of Jackson State got a hot start, winning 5 of their first six games. The lone defeat came 63-54 to Central Florida in the Discover Puerto Rico Classic. After defeating St. John’s 60-56, the Tigers went on a 5-game losing skid, in which they shot under 40% in four of the five contests, which sunk them to a 5-6 record as they head into SWAC play.
The Tigers’ leading scorer is Ti’lan Boler, who averages 10.3 points per game. Although the Tigers rank 9th in the SWAC in total turnovers with 16.4, Jackson State has averaged more turnovers, 17.6, in their wins, as opposed to 15.3 in their defeats.
Jackson State faces Alcorn in its conference opener.
Alabama A&M
The Bulldogs are losers of three straight and will enter SWAC play with a 5-7 overall record. Former SWAC Player of the Week Amiah Simmons leads Alabama A&M in scoring with 13.7 points per game on .473/.457/.862 splits. The junior out of Kansas is also the conference’s third-leading scorer and will enter conference play coming off back-to-back 20-point performances, scoring 23 against Texas State and 22 versus Central Arkansas.
The Bulldogs possess the second-ranked scoring defense in the SWAC, surrendering just 61.4 points per game, but their shooting has shown up prominently in their wins. In all of Alabama A&M’s five victories, they have outshot their opponents from the field.
The Bulldogs will take on Arkansas Pine Bluff in their SWAC opener.
Prairie View A&M
Coach Sandy Pugh and the Prairie View A&M Panthers ended the non-conference portion of their schedule at 4-6, with wins over Huston Tillotson, McNeese State, North American, and Wiley University.
The Panthers’ ability to force turnovers has played a role in all four of their victories, with season highs of 42 and 36 in the wins over North American and Wiley, respectively. However, during their recent five-game skid, Prairie View turned the ball over more than their opponents in every game.
LSU graduate transfer Ryann Payne leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per contest. A four-star prospect out of Los Angeles, Payne began her collegiate career at TCU, appearing in 58 contests in two seasons with the Horned Frogs before transferring to LSU, participating in 39 games over three seasons.
The Panthers begin SWAC play against Grambling.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Though they sport a 5-8 overall record, the UAPB women’s basketball team has run the gauntlet of a non-conference schedule that has pitted them against the likes of Oregon, Oregon State, Tulsa, SMU, Mississippi State, Clemson, Arkansas, and Ole Miss.
The highlight of this portion of their season was their 74-70 upset of Arkansas, which was the program’s first victory over a Power 5 team. Coach Dawn Thorton’s team is the best shooting team in the SWAC, shooting a collective 43% from the floor.
The Lions also feature the second-best offense in the SWAC at 77.0 points per game. That offense is led by the SWAC’s leading scorer, Zaay Green, who averages 19.2 points per game.
Green’s stellar play is not only the preeminent favorite for SWAC Player of the Year but has even caught the attention of WNBA scouts who attended a Pine Bluff practice to get a closer look at the multiple-time SWAC Player of the Week. Despite the level of competition the Lions have faced, they are one of just four SWAC teams with a positive margin, as they are a + 2.5 on the season.
Alabama State
The Lady Hornets have staggered through the non-conference portion of their schedule without winning a single contest. In their 11 losses on the season, the Lady Hornets have lost by a combined 468 points, averaging 42.5 per defeat, with the closest margin being a 21-point blowout at the hands of Jacksonville State on November 30.
The Hornets rank at or near the bottom in several categories, including offense (46.5 ppg), margin ( -43.5 ppg), defense (90.0 ppg), opponent field goal percentage ( 49.8%), opponent 3-point percentage ( 40.2%), and rebounds ( 28.5 per game). Cardasia Harris is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 10.4 and 6.3 rebounds on the season.
The Lady Braves of Alcorn State are 2-9, losers of 5 in a row, the most recent being a 39-point loss to Ole Miss on December 30. Alcorn has the third worst deficit in the SWAC, with -21.4, only surpassed by MVSU (-37.5) and Alabama State (-43.5). All season, shooting and defending the three-point shot has been a struggle for Alcorn. The Lady Braves shot a frigid and SWAC-worst 20% from downtown and, on the season, have been outscored from distance by 138 points, with opponents shooting 32.6% from distance.
Southern University
The Jaguars are 2-9. However, one of those wins is a 79-70 upset over Oklahoma on December 22. The Jaguars’ leading scorer, graduate student Genovea Johnson, averages 10.7 points per contest, with her season-high coming in their big win over the Sooners. Rebounding has been problematic for coach Carlos Funchess’ Jaguar team, as they are the third-worst rebounding team in the SWAC.
Southern has been outrebounded in all but two of their contests on the season. Southern is the third-worst rebounding team in the SWAC, averaging 31.7 rebounds per contest; the team’s leading rebounder, junior center Tionna Lidge, pulls down 5.4 boards per game with a season-high of 17 against Louisiana College.
Southern, on average, is outrebounded by 10.4 boards per game and has only outrebounded opponents twice during the season. The Jaguars have had difficulty protecting their defensive backboards, having given up 128 second-chance points while scoring 57 of their own.
Texas Southern
The Tigers of Texas Southern University and Florida A&M currently find themselves at 1-10 at the end of non-conference play. Losers of nine consecutive games, with only one of those defeats being less than 12 points, a 68-63 loss to Nebraska-Ohama on Dec. 18.
Texas Southern is one of the most offensively challenged teams in the conference, as their 55.2 points per game is the fourth fewest points in the conference. A prime driver of the Tigers’ offensive issues is subpar shooting.
The 34 percent shooting from the field and the 23 percent on 3-pointers are the 10th and 11th worst in the conference, respectively. Texas Southern has only shot 50% or better once on the season, in their victory over North American, and connected on less than 30% of their field goal attempts four times.
The Tigers’ leading and lone double-figure scorers, Daeja Holmes and Taniya Lawson, shoot 35.5% and 36% from the floor, respectively.
Texas Southern begins SWAC play with a Saturday matchup against Southern University.
Florida A&M
It has been a rough non-conference stretch of the season for first-year coach Bridgette Gordon and the Lady Rattlers of Florida A&M, as they have gotten off to a 1-10 start, with a 59-54 win over Jacksonville being the only triumph on the season. Grad student Ahriana Grizzle is the conference’s second-leading scorer, averaging 17.9 points per contest. With her season-high 31 coming in, the Lady Rattlers’ 76-71 loss to North Florida.
Failures to secure the basketball have hurt FAMU all season. The Lady Rattlers have turned the ball over 20 or more times six times on the season, topping out with 29 against Sam Houston, and are averaging 21.2 turnovers per game, which opponents, on average, are turning into 19.2 points per game.
The Rattlers tip off SWAC play on January 6 against Bethune-Cookman.
Mississippi Valley State
The Devilletes are 1-12 and losers of 10 consecutive games, including a 101-19 bludgeoning courtesy of Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Valley’s lone victory came via an 85-82 nailbiter against McNeese State on November 16. Shooting has been the Achilles heel for MVSU; the Devillettes are the worst shooting team in the SWAC, shooting just 29.7% on the season. They have shot better than 40% twice on the season and less than 20% from the floor three times as a team.
Mississippi Valley opens SWAC play on January 6 against Alabama State.
Alabama State
The Lady Hornets have staggered through the non-conference portion of their schedule without winning a single contest. In their 11 losses on the season, the Lady Hornets have lost by a combined 468 points, averaging 42.5 per defeat, with the closest margin being a 21-point blowout at the hands of Jacksonville State on November 30.
The Hornets rank at or near the bottom in several categories, including offense (46.5 points per game), margin (-43.5 ppg), defense ( 90.0 ppg), opponent field goal percentage ( 49.8%), opponent 3-point percentage (40.2%), and rebounds ( 28.5 per game). Cardasia Harris is the team’s leading returning scorer, averaging 10.4 and 6.3 rebounds on the season.
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