Hurston's 13 leads Southern women past Alabama State 73-56 to claim SWAC title

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COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Zaria Hurston scored 13 points, Olivia Delancey tallied 12, and Southern took down Alabama State 73-56 on Saturday to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship and punch their ticket to March Madness.

The win clinches the second-straight SWAC title and eighth overall for the No. 4-seeded Lady Jaguars (19-13).

D'Shantae Edwards scored 11, and Jocelyn Tate chipped in with 10 points for Southern, who shot 49% from the field and 54% from deep while holding Alabama State to 28% and 14% marks, respectively. The Lady Jaguars led for all but 54 seconds of the game.

Southern got off to a hot start, with a 9-0 first-quarter run putting them comfortably ahead. It extended the lead to 22 before halftime, taking a 41-19 advantage to the locker rooms.

Alabama State battled back with a 12-1 run of their own in the third quarter, but their momentum was short-lived.

Caylee Simpson paced the Lady Hornets (17-15) with 19 points, and Shamya Reid scored 10. Clearia Peterson had four steals.

Southern has made the Division I Tournament four times under eighth-year head coach Carlos Funchess. Last year, they won 68-56 over 16-seed UC San Diego in the First Four before bowing out against No. 1-seed UCLA 84-46 in the first round.

Southern awaits seeding for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be revealed on Sunday. The tournament tips off with the First Four on Wednesday and Thursday, and the first round begins Friday.

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