The moment was quiet, even as celebration lingered everywhere.
Kaila Walker sat on the hardwood floor with her legs stretched out in front of her, surrounded by red, yellow, blue and pink confetti scattered across the court, remnants of the jubilation that erupted only moments earlier.
In her lap rested the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) championship trophy, cradled in both hands as arena lights reflected off its glossy black surface.
Walker wasn’t looking at the crowd, she wasn’t looking at the cameras. Her eyes were lowered toward the trophy, and she was privately smiling to herself.
Moments earlier, the scene had been much louder.
Grinning from eat to ear, Walker slipped on a crisp white Alabama A&M women’s basketball championship t-shirt and posed with her teammates for a historic snapshot. Kneeling slightly in the front row, Walker was surrounded by euphoric teammates, coaches, and staff. Cameras flashed. Arms draped across shoulders.
Laughter and joy spilled across the court as head coach Dawn Thornton proudly held the SWAC regular-season championship trophy with both hands.
Walker raised her index finger toward the lens.
No. 1.
It looked like the same championship pose seen in arenas across the country every March, but this one carried extra weight. For Alabama A&M, it marked the first championship of any kind in its Division I era, which began in 1999. And for Walker, the moment held a layered meaning.
Walker, who was named SWAC Player of the Year this past Friday, had delivered a season worthy of the moment, but beneath the smile was something steadier than excitement.
She felt at peace.
“When you’re constantly practicing, and around the game all the time, it can be a lot,” Walker told The IX Basketball. “Being able to decompress from everything and just be a human being before being an athlete was really big for me. It just became a lot for me. I realized I was all focused on basketball, and there was no outlet. Everything was basketball. Games, practices, and being with the team. It all just became too much.”
To rediscover who she was off the court, Walker stepped away from the noise and expectations during the 2022-23 season. Walker spent time with family, allowing herself the rare luxury of space during a relentless schedule.
“What does life look like without basketball?” she remembered asking herself. “I needed time to regroup and see the person I could be without it.”
That much-needed reset arrived in quiet, everyday moments.
“I would just relax and chill at the house,” Walker said. “During the season, you don’t really get time to just be. You don’t get to go to the movies or spend as much time with friends. Being able to decompress from everything was the biggest thing for me.”
Slowly, the pressure eased. The joy returned.
That’s why the championship photo meant more than a title: for the first time in a long time, she had made herself a priority, too.
Now, she can pour into her teammates during a memorable regular season campaign. Alabama A&M will carry a 17-game winning streak into next week’s SWAC tournament behind Walker, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring, assists and steals while setting the tone for a team chasing history.
“Her growth has been incredible,” newly minted SWAC Coach of The Year and Alabama A&M head coach Dawn Thornton said to The IX Basketball during a Zoom call. “She’s become a leader. She’s much more vocal now. But I’ve also challenged her to position herself for what’s next in her life. She’s a star, and I want her to truly embrace what womanhood looks like outside of basketball.”
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Walker is intentional about building an identity beyond basketball. After earning an undergraduate degree in liberal studies, she is now pursuing a master’s in business management.
She doesn’t see herself only as “Kalia Walker, No. 25,” but also as a sister, daughter and entrepreneur. She’s already planning her own clothing brand, which she’ll focus on after the season.
None of the Bulldogs, however, are ready for the season to end.
“This season really surprised me,” Walker said. “The way we started was kind of rough, but we all came together as a team with our coaches. We knew we wanted this season to be special, and everybody wanted to do it for each other and for the people who came before us last year. We knew how badly we wanted to win, so we locked in together, and it just worked out.”
The Bulldogs have moved in sync since their opening SWAC loss, an overtime road setback to Mississippi Valley State. Alabama A&M has won in every way: 40-point blowouts, fourth-quarter rallies, methodically stretching their lead throughout the game, and clutch shots from Coriah “Big Shot” Beck.
Much of Alabama A&M’s rise has been fueled by a suffocating defense. The Bulldogs’ bite has proven stronger than their bark, grinding opponents into longer, more deliberate possessions and shrinking the margin for mistakes.
Nationally, Alabama A&M ranks 49th in opponents’ average pace and 12th in points allowed per game (55.8), while surrendering just 0.6 points per play, the sixth-best mark in the country per Her Hoops Stats. The Bulldogs also sit 17th in field-goal percentage defense (36.2%) and allow the eighth-fewest made field goals nationally (572). Their grip has tightened down the stretch, holding five of their last six opponents below 35 percent shooting.
“I think it starts with my staff and the hard work that they put in every day with their positions and their areas,” Thornton said. “Sometimes, you know it’s difficult adapting to my wants and my needs, but they’ve done a phenomenal job in doing that, and not only that, keeping the kids engaged and keeping them locked in. And that’s a real thing.”
Energy followed the Bulldogs all season, but the electricity in the arena last weekend felt different. Alabama A&M has made community engagement a cornerstone of its program, with players frequently connecting with Huntsville through youth events, school visits and service projects.
Last weekend, the love came back their way when a record 6,000 fans packed the stands to watch the Bulldogs defeat Alabama State, 61-53.
“It was everything, especially for an HBCU game,” Walker said of the atmosphere against their rival. “It was crazy. And the fact that the crowd was there, not just sitting, but actually cheering and watching the game instead of being on their phones, it was amazing. I loved how loud it was.”
Of course, every championship run has defining moments. For the Bulldogs, there were two key points.
The first came in their final non-conference game in a loss to Richmond on Dec. 20. Alabama A&M outscored Richmond over the last three quarters, proving to Thornton what kind of team she had and building the Bulldogs’ confidence for conference play.
“I could see the potential,” Thornton said. “We showed so much fight. We say all the time, preparation is your separation. So you really want to be in a position to prepare them for everything. I knew at that point we were going in the right direction.”
The second came with gritty road wins at Grambling State and Southern in early February, two challenging SWAC environments.
Down by one point with less than two minutes remaining, Beck buried a 3-pointer to give Alabama A&M the lead for good against Grambling State. Two days later, Beck made a pair of free throws with one second remaining to seal a 56-54 win at Southern in a game where the Bulldogs had trailed by eight points in the third quarter.
“Those wins gave us a lot of confidence, especially with how hard those games were and how locked in we were,” Walker said. “The way we finished those games, we were just proud of one another. I looked around and said, ‘This is a special team.’ In that moment, we all knew we could do something special based on how we handled those situations.”
Walker, Beck and Moses Davenport were with Thornton at Arkansas-Pine Bluff before transferring to The Hill at the start of last season to follow their coach. Beck and Davenport missed last season because of injuries, but Thornton has led the Bulldogs to consecutive 20-win seasons.
The return of Beck and Davenport, along with the introduction of Texas Southern transfer Jaida Belton, has been key to the Bulldogs’ success. Davenport averages 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds; Beck adds 9.5 points and Belton leads in rebounding at 7.1 per game, third in the SWAC. Also making key contributions this season have been Rakiyah Beal, Aniya Palmer, Vanessa Wimberly, and Kamiyha Griffin.
After winning 21 games last season and earning a WNIT berth, Alabama A&M returned stronger this year. Walker immediately recognized the difference Beck and Davenport made upon returning to the lineup, especially with the chemistry they built together at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
“They have made a huge impact on and off the floor,” Walker said. “They do so much for our team — whether it’s offensively, defensively, or just talking and being leaders on the court. They’re really the core of our team, and without them we couldn’t be where we are now.”
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The foundation of Alabama A&M’s championship run can be traced to the priceless values of loyalty and trust, along with an early conversation Thornton had with Walker during the 2020 recruiting process.
Walker, an explosive scorer, starred at Arkansas Baptist with 23.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. Thornton made it clear that the transition to Division I would require patience.
In an era defined by instant gratification, Walker could have chosen another path, one with a permanent green light and unlimited playing time. Instead, Thornton was direct with Walker when she signed with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Her role would be different.
“It was just different for her to have a real level of talent around her coming from a junior college,” Thornton said. “I told her that coming in here, you might fill the minutes here and there. To have a player who can trust the coach like that, I couldn’t be more thankful or grateful. Whatever I’ve asked her to do, she’s done it.”
Walker found her rhythm at UAPB quickly, averaging 11.3 points across 20 starts. But every minute had to be earned.
Over time, basketball took its toll. In the 2021-22 season, Walker’s numbers dropped to 6.0 points and 1.1 assists per game over 28 contests.
Emotionally exhausted, Walker showcased the quiet power of vulnerability. Instead of suffering in silence, she chose to step away and take care of herself.
When Walker returned to basketball, she refused to fall back into the old cycle of endless workouts and no space for herself. That year away taught her the value of balance — that it’s okay to skip extra shots some days, to go home after practice, be with friends, and just be a person. Now, she’s intentional about carving out that time.
Returning for 2023-24, Walker felt lighter and happier. The numbers — 8.2 points and 2.2 assists per game — didn’t matter.
“Now, after practice or workouts, I make time for myself to do what I like so I can have balance,” Walker said. “Taking that year off helped me return with a better mindset. I’m older, my head is on straight, and I know how to balance everything.”
The new environment helped, too. She led the Bulldogs in scoring last season with a 14.5 points per game average. Thornton was happy that Beck, Walker, and Davenport chose to come with her to Alabama A&M.
“Just the level of respect and love that I have for Moses, Kaila, and Coriah, they could have left and gone to Power Five,” Thornton said. “They had the opportunity to do that. So that level of trust, that level of loyalty, runs deep.”
That trust shows up every day inside Alabama A&M’s locker room.
“We take basketball seriously, but we also have fun,” Walker said. “Whether it’s watching film or celebrating a great play, we’re always cheering for each other. It feels great to be around teammates like that and build bonds that go beyond basketball.”
Now the Bulldogs’ season has come down to one forty-minute game at a time. Three wins, and Alabama A&M will go dancing for the first time and hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
For many players, moments like this can be pressure-filled. For Walker, they bring perspective.
“We’re confident, but we’re humble,” Walker said. “At the end of the day, any team can come and play their best and beat us. But we know we all have one goal. We know it’s going to be hard to get there, but every single person on this team is going to leave their heart on the floor. I’m confident in this team, I’m confident in the coaching staff, and I’m confident in myself.”
If that moment arrives — if Alabama A&M cuts down the nets and the cameras flash again — Walker will likely find herself back in the same place she was before.
Smiling in the front row of another championship photo, and raising one finger toward the lens.
No. 1.
Only this time, the meaning will run deeper than basketball because Walker has already found something just as important:
Balance, and peace.
Pooler and Peterson set tone for Alabama State’s success
Alanah Pooler had built her reputation on strength.
In every gym she stepped into, she carried the swagger that nobody was moving her off a spot she wanted. Not on the block, not in the lane, not anywhere.
Everything changed when Clearia Peterson walked into open gym.
Peterson had arrived at Alabama State after a season at Miami Dade Community College. The first time she checked into a run with the Hornets, Pooler felt it almost immediately: something was different.
“I’m just getting boomed everywhere,” Pooler said with a laugh to The IX Basketball during a Zoom call. “I’m trying to move her out of the way, and she’s not moving. If you can move me, then you can move anybody. I kind of knew what type of timing we were on when we first played in open gym. Her work ethic. She was never going to quit. … But yeah, that’s my little baby.”
The moment carried the crackle of competition, the kind that makes players look at each other a little longer after a possession ends. Strength meeting strength. Pride bumping into pride.
But something else was born there, too: respect.
What began as a collision slowly turned into connection. The pushing and bumping, the refusal to yield, became Alabama State’s love language. Teammates challenging teammates. Nobody asking for space. Nobody expecting mercy.
Affection grew from friction. Inside the Hornets’ gym, getting “boomed” isn’t a slight. It’s a sign you’ve found someone strong enough to make you better.
“In my press conference, I shared with the ladies that the standard is the standard and we will compete,” first-year Alabama State head coach Johnetta Hayes told The IX Basketball during a Zoom call. “My goal always was that we’ve got to be in the top four. If you get in the top four, you can play with anybody in any league across the board.”
In Hayes’ vocabulary, however, competing meant refusing to accept “rebuilding year” expectations, even when Alabama State’s recent history suggested patience might be required. The Hornets had won just nine games combined over the previous two seasons.
Instead, Hayes challenged them to think like contenders, a point she made over the summer.
Picked ninth in the SWAC preseason poll, Alabama State responded by finishing tied for third with Southern at 12-6 in conference play, matching the program’s highest league win total since the 2022-23 season.
They dove for loose balls. Closed out harder on shooters. Stayed poised when opponents made late runs.
Most importantly, they never wavered.
Throughout the season, Alabama State leaned on a committee of contributors and competed with the confidence of a team that believed its best basketball was still ahead.
It showed up in moments across the season.
Amari Franklin drilling four 3-pointers in a one-point road win at Bethune-Cookman. Caylee Simpson scoring the decisive basket with under 10 seconds remaining to beat last season’s SWAC champion Southern. Shamya Reid coming up clutch to spark a road overtime win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. And Peterson delivering seven double-doubles while averaging 7.7 rebounds per game, the second-best mark in the conference.
“This team fights,” Peterson said. “We go through a lot together, but when we get on the court, we lock in 100 percent. The other team is going to get everything we’ve got. I still feel like we haven’t even reached our full level yet.”
“Coach Hayes is always pushing you to be your best,” she continued. “You don’t know your limits until somebody pushes you to them. If you’re not trying to be the best, then Coach Hayes ain’t the coach for you. But if you are? You’re going to be the best messing around with Coach Hayes. I was ready. I was ready to get on the court. I was ready to hoop.”
Peterson arrived at Alabama State out of shape, by her own admission, but hungry.
Surrounded by people who had always told her she was the best, she had rarely encountered the kind of blunt honesty Hayes delivered about how far she still had to go. Instead of running from that truth, Peterson ran toward it, becoming one of the clearest examples of what Hayes means when she says, “the standard is the standard, and we will compete.”
“I was badly out of shape at Miami Dade,” Peterson said. “I was putting up the numbers I wanted to put up, but I wasn’t in the body or the place that I wanted to be. Coach Hayes kept it straight up with me. She let me know I had a lot of work to do. She doesn’t sugarcoat it. From there, it was straight work. Weight room.”
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In many ways, Peterson’s journey mirrors Alabama State’s. Productive, but unfinished. Talented, but rough around the edges. Easy to overlook. Under Hayes, the Hornets became something sharper, tougher, and far more competitive than anyone outside the locker room expected.
But on a late winter night at Texas Southern, inside an arena lined with banners from Hayes’ own glory days, Alabama State delivered something bigger than an 82-74 road win that halted a three-game skid and sparked a five-game winning streak.
That night, the team nobody expected much from began to look like exactly what Hayes had promised in her first meeting with the players: a top-four team that could compete with anybody in the SWAC.
Hayes won 115 games, earned SWAC Coach of the Year honors, and led Texas Southern to the 2017 NCAA tournament during her six seasons leading the Tigers from 2013-19. Returning there this season carried emotions that had little to do with basketball.
“You know, we went there for practice, and I was in the training room area, and I was really emotional,” Hayes said. “I’m not an emotional person. That was my first time back in that arena since my dad passed. He was always there. He missed the game. I was a little shaken up with that.”
“So to go there and get a win there was a really big deal to me. You have to be transparent sometimes, because you are a person. You do have feelings.”
For a coach who constantly reminds her players that “the standard is the standard,” competing has never meant pretending to be invincible. It means showing up fully with her seven standards of love, leadership, communication, competitiveness, service, trustworthiness and discipline.
Sometimes, vulnerability too. Hayes demands toughness in every drill and possession, but she also understands that connection is what sustains it. When her players saw that moment of honesty from their coach inside the arena where she once built champions, the message landed differently.
Competing, they realized, wasn’t just about proving something to the standings or the scoreboard. It was about showing up for each other.
That spirit shows up in how they move across campus as much as it does on the court. Even as they chase a championship, Alabama State’s leaders make it clear their focus extends beyond basketball. They talk as much about life after basketball as they do about box scores.
Peterson, a computer science major from Detroit, suddenly finds herself sorting through a growing list of internship opportunities, weighing which tech or engineering path fits her best now that, as she puts it, Alabama State has opened the door to possibilities beyond hoops.
A Houston native who spent her youth in Texas Southern’s gym, Pooler is majoring in interdisciplinary studies with minors in business and health. She’s already thinking about staying in college athletics someday, perhaps working in administration or even in a conference office.
Pooler’s leadership extends well beyond the locker room. She serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), helping organize student-athlete events, awards shows, and fundraisers that enhance the experience for everyone on campus. On Wednesday nights, she gathers teammates to attend Fellowship of Christian Athletes together so they can, as she says, “fellowship together.”
The same way they rotate to help on defense, they show up for one another in meeting rooms, chapels and leadership councils, building lives that will continue long after the final buzzer.
Now the Hornets head to Atlanta for the SWAC tournament carrying the same belief that fueled their season: no obstacle is too great when everyone pulls in the same direction. Their first challenge comes Thursday evening in the quarterfinals against Grambling State, a team that swept Alabama State in the regular season.
“We’ve really been harping on focus the whole season, staying locked in and being intentional,” Pooler said. “I’m excited to see how we lock in. We’ll just give it all we’ve got because that’s what tournament basketball is about. Anything can happen. Anybody can lose, anybody can win. It’s about who stays focused and executes the game plan. We’ll be prepared.”
“We continue to prove that we can push through adversity and just play for each other. Play for the coaches. Play for the university. That’s the biggest thing. I’m really proud of us and how we’ve faced everything.”
For Alabama State, competing was never just about the scoreboard. It meant embracing hard truths, pushing each other past comfort, and believing that something stronger waited on the other side of that work.
By March, the Hornets were exactly what Hayes envisioned: a top-four program ready to compete with anyone, convinced it could be the last team standing Saturday night.
Cotton helps Jackson State finish strong
Jackson State arrives in Atlanta looking like a team built to disrupt the SWAC tournament.
The Tigers are hotter than fish grease, with wins in five of their last six games. They have a closer in senior guard Jaileyah Cotton, affectionately known as J5, a relentless defender and clutch scorer who thrives under pressure. They also have a difference-maker on the glass in freshman forward Pierre-Noelle Tcheuhchoua, a powerful rebounder with instinctive positioning who was named SWAC Freshman of the Year.
This is one of many reasons second-year head coach Margaret Richards is smiling with quiet confidence as the Tigers head to Atlanta in search of their second SWAC tournament championship in three years. It took time, but Jackson State has finally settled into itself, coalescing into a team that looks dangerous at exactly the right moment.
Richards emphasized the team’s growth.
“Our young ladies are really buying in — the chemistry has improved immensely as they’ve built trust and embraced more accountability with a smaller roster,” Richards said to The IX Basketball. “Even with a brand-new team, that buy-in and purpose all start with our lone returner, J5.”
Cotton showed exactly what that leadership looks like during last week’s gritty home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, when she took a hard hit to the head. Cotton absorbed it, steadied herself and finished anyway.
A possession later, she rose for a calm mid-range jumper. Then came the pass, a sharp thread through traffic to Tcheuhchoua as Jackson State stabilized itself late against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Cotton’s leadership steadied Jackson State during its season-ending surge, consistently providing composure when possessions mattered most.
Cotton finished with 19 points in the win and has scored in double figures in 11 of Jackson State’s last 12 games, including each game of the the Tigers’ five-game winning streak that ended in a season-ending setback to Mississippi Valley State. Her impact extends well beyond points, with double-doubles against Alcorn State (14 points, 15 rebounds) and Texas Southern (19, 11), which is notable for a 5’6 point guard.
“She’s always been an outstanding leader for me,” Richards said. “She’s shown she’s willing to do whatever the team needs. To have a 5’6 point guard go for 15 and 14 at Alcorn in a hostile environment, then 19 and 11 on the Texas trip, says everything about her character and how much she gives this team.”
The Tigers fed off Cotton’s intensity, especially during a pivotal 52-49 overtime win over rival Alcorn State. That night, Richards saw her team transform and realize its ability to compete with the conference’s best, handing Alcorn State its first home loss this season.
In that game, contributions came from everywhere. Angel Wilkinson prowled the passing lanes and finished with six steals. Tcheuhchoua controlled the glass with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Mikayla Brown added 10 points, settling the offense. Defensively, the Tigers suffocated Alcorn State, holding the Braves to single digits in three of the five quarters.
“That game changed us,” Richards said. “We had foul trouble and limited numbers. To go in there and hold them under 50 points is amazing. I’m about my defense. That’s huge, because that was the number-two team in the conference. So, for me, that was huge. You know, when you got players and the assistant coaches in the huddle saying, ‘Hey, continue to execute the game scouts.’ … We were locked in from the start, from the top of the bench to the end of the bench. It just made me feel good as a leader.”
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Richards has enjoyed watching Tcheuhchoua develop this season, and says the freshman plays without fear. Averaging 5.4 rebounds per game, Tcheuhchoua crashes the boards, lunges for loose rebounds, shuffles her feet and swipes at the ball to disrupt opponents. The Omaha, Nebraska, native has three double-doubles this season.
Richards has also been pleased with Rhema Peagus, a quick, crafty 5’8 guard who leads the Tigers in scoring at 9.9 per game despite not playing since Feb. 12 against Bethune-Cookman. The North Alabama transfer brings poise and three-point shooting, stretching the floor and giving Cotton more space to drive to the basket.
Meanwhile, Brown notched a double-double against Prairie View A&M on Feb. 26. Averaging 7.0 points per game, she ranks fifth in the SWAC in rebounding (7.0), excelling with physicality and excellent timing under the basket.
Derrica McCall, athletic and versatile, has emerged as a vital contributor. Her 15 points in a road win against Texas Southern showed her ability to score in bunches and energize the lineup. Richards described her presence with enthusiasm.
“She’s our X factor. I tell her that all the time,” Richards said. “She’s older, has experience, a beautiful shot, and can score at all three levels. She’s long, she passes well, she gets deflections, and I really believe she has a special gift that’s going to be a huge X factor for us moving forward.”
It’s why every pass has purpose. Every movement matters.
Richards’ captains recognize the urgency, which has fueled this late-season surge. One of Jackson State’s captains recently put the season in perspective during a team meeting.
Every huddle now comes with a reminder. The number ticks down, the message stays the same: those minutes can’t be wasted.
“One of our captains broke it down for the team,” Richards said. “She told them we had five games left. That’s 200 minutes of basketball before the tournament. So now we count them. After every game, we remind them how many minutes are left because you can’t get those minutes back. A lot of our players are seniors. Once those minutes are gone, they’re gone.”
Richards paused.
“That’s why I tell them: you can’t cheat the game.”
Southern looking to repeat
The rings said everything Southern didn’t have to.
In a recent Southern gameday graphic, senior guard D’Shantae Edwards steadied a basketball in her left hand while extending her right fist toward the camera. Two championship rings caught the light, their stones glinting like small trophies. Her expression never wavered.
Calm. Certain. Unbothered.
The message didn’t require a caption: Southern still wears the crown.
Even though the Jaguars absorbed their share of bumps during conference play, championship programs rarely forget how to win in March. The reigning SWAC tournament champion understands the path that leads to the nets, and the Jaguars believe they can walk it again, chasing a third SWAC tournament title in four years.
“I think we have the talent to win it all,” Southern head coach Carlos Funches told The IX Basketball. “We just have to be fundamentally sound. We have to go to Atlanta and play well. We’ve got to knock down shots and take care of the ball. But I believe we have a shot to win this thing. I know we do without question.”
Southern was picked as the preseason favorite, and conference play showed just how slim the margins were: five of the Jaguars’ six SWAC losses were by four or fewer points, including games lost in the final 10 seconds — one at home to Alabama A&M and another on the road at Alabama State.
Those close losses exposed Southern’s late-game execution struggles and became a wake-up call. The staff and players improved their situational awareness, ball security and understanding of who should have the ball in critical moments, preparing for March pressure.
Funches knows March offers little room for error. Southern has survived those moments before, capturing last season’s SWAC tournament and carrying momentum into the NCAA tournament with a win.
“I told our team that you have to be locked in on every little detail because all it takes is one breakdown for you to lose a game,” Funches said. “It might be a box out at the free throw line. It might be you rushing up on a shooter, or somebody you think is a shooter, and they’re not. You have to be locked in on every little detail.”
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Earlier this season, Southern proved it can compete with anyone by earning consecutive road wins over Big 12 programs Houston and Arizona.
Balance and depth define the Jaguars. Eleven players average at least 10 minutes, allowing production from many spots. DeMya Porter leads with 9.6 points per game, but any Jaguar can step up on offense.
Zaria Hurston and Jaylia Reed average 8.0 points. Hurston leads with 5.6 rebounds; Reed has 55 threes. Jocelyn Tate and Olivia Delancy add 7.0 points each. Mykayla Cunningham leads with 92 assists.
“I think we’re getting better, instead of just running plays and doing things, scrambling around defensively,” Funches said. “I think we’re getting an understanding of what we need to be doing on both ends of the court. We had nine new players come in this year, so it’s been tough trying to get everybody to mesh. We also had a few injuries here and there, but I think they really have a good concept of what they’re doing now and why they are doing certain things.”
Programs that know how winning feels are most dangerous in March. If Southern executes the details in Atlanta, Edwards’ rings might soon have company.
UAPB’s turnaround inspires confidence
Lost in the shuffle amid the tremendous success of Alabama A&M, Alcorn State and Alabama State was the quiet progress made by Arkansas-Pine Bluff under second-year head coach Erica Leak.
After winning just one SWAC game and three games overall last season, the Golden Lions flipped the script in 2025-26. UAPB finished 10-8 in conference play and improved their overall win total by 10 games.
The Golden Lions were particularly strong at home, posting an 8-3 record that included a school-record seven consecutive home victories to close the season. UAPB also ended the regular season with an impressive 66-61 win at Alcorn State, completing a season sweep of the Braves, the No. 2 seed in the SWAC tournament.
If UAPB defeats the winner of the Mississippi Valley State–Prairie View A&M matchup, the Golden Lions will face Alcorn State again in Wednesday evening’s quarterfinals.
While electric scorer Indiya Bowen earned All-SWAC First Team honors and was named SWAC Newcomer of the Year, the Golden Lions’ depth has become their superpower.
Jailah Pelly emerged as a steady secondary option, finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.5 points per game and ranking third in rebounding at 4.3. Pelly scored a season-high 23 points twice, first in a season-opening victory over Memphis and later against Florida A&M. She reached double figures 23 times this season.
Khaniah Gardner has also provided consistency in the frontcourt. She averages 7.9 points per game and leads UAPB with 6.4 rebounds. Three of Gardner’s five double-doubles have come in the Golden Lions’ last four games, including a 20-point performance against Alabama State and a 24-point outing against Texas Southern in consecutive contests.
UAPB also showcased resilience in two of its most significant victories of the season.
The Golden Lions rallied from a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to defeat Memphis 69-64, outscoring the Tigers by 15 points in the final period. In another dramatic home victory against Alcorn State, UAPB erased a 17-point halftime deficit to claim a 64-60 win.
“It wasn’t that we couldn’t break what they were doing,” Leak said in a post on X following the Alcorn State game. “It was just us needing some motor and enthusiasm and energy, and that was what we were lacking. Some stuff isn’t X’s and O’s. Some stuff is just you’ve got to be better than the person in front of you and have some heart about yourself.”
Bowen has been the fulcrum of the Golden Lions’ attack all season. She finished the regular season averaging 14.9 points per game and produced several signature moments along the way. Bowen scored 29 points in the victory over Memphis, delivered a game-winning buzzer-beater against North Alabama, poured in 29 points against Alabama State, and added 27 points against Mississippi Valley State.
The Golden Lions may not have commanded the spotlight this season, but their progress has made everyone take notice. Arkansas-Pine Bluff now arrives in Atlanta with momentum and belief. The Golden Lions have already shown they can rally, respond, and close games against top competition. In March, that can be just as dangerous.
Texas Southern’s Logwood lighting it up
Texas Southern might enter the SWAC tournament as an underdog and a No. 10 seed, but the Tigers also arrive with the most dangerous scorer in the field.
Sophomore guard Taliyah Logwood finished the regular season tied for second in the conference in scoring, at 14.5 points per game. Over the final stretch, however, she has been operating on a completely different level.
Logwood scored 30 or more points in three of Texas Southern’s final five games, including a career-high 35-point performance in a 111-64 win over rival Prairie View A&M on March 5. She added a career-best 14 rebounds in that game for her fourth double-double of the season.
“It feels good,” Logwood said to reporters afterward about setting her career high for the third time in five games. “We just played as a sisterhood. We played together and I think that’s what we’ve been missing. Coach and I had a conversation earlier today during shootaround and she just told me to relax. Don’t go in the game trying to be hyper. Do things that I don’t normally do. Just play my game.”
Her scoring surge began weeks earlier. Logwood poured in 32 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb. 19, then followed with 33 points against Mississippi Valley State two days later, shooting a combined 9-for-14 from three-point range in that stretch. She also delivered 29 points against Alabama State on Jan. 22.
Logwood enters the SWAC tournament riding nine consecutive double-digit scoring performances. She has topped 20 points in six of those games.
Over Texas Southern’s last nine contests, Logwood is averaging 22.6 points per game, including 26.4 points per game over the final five.
Her production was a bright spot during a difficult stretch for the Tigers, who endured an eight-game losing streak while playing seven games without second-leading scorer Daeja Holmes, who was sidelined with an injury. The absence increased Logwood’s scoring burden and although she carried it, Texas Southern struggled to find consistent rhythm.
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Now the Tigers appear healthier and more confident.
Holmes returned in the regular-season finale and scored 10 points, while Aaliyah Henderson added 21 points off the bench and Lauren Perry contributed 15 points and nine rebounds. Texas Southern placed five players in double figures and shot 49 percent from the field in the win over Prairie View.
After the game, head coach Vernette Skeete brought her entire team to the postgame press conference table, a visible show of unity and appreciation for everyone’s role in the Tigers’ late-season victory.
With Holmes back and Logwood playing the best basketball of her young career, Texas Southern heads to Atlanta believing it can make noise in March.
“This year been a lot of ups and downs and, you know,” Skeete said to reporters postgame. “We talked about our theme was conquer more and because we made it our thing, we ended up having to conquer more. There were a lot of challenges that we had to endure this year. But nevertheless, it was just kind of God’s example of telling us how strong we are and how resilient we can be.
“I just really wanted to celebrate with my whole team because everybody at some point came through and held it down for us until we could get over the hump or get through an injury. … I’m really appreciative of this whole team. I really love them because I am not easy to deal with. I want success for them so hard.”
Elsewhere around the SWAC
Alcorn State has lost in the championship game in each of the last two years. They arrive in Atlanta motivated and led by their dynamic duo of Kiarra Henderson and Nakia Cheatham. Cheatham was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year. The IX Basketball went deep on the connection between Cheatham and Henderson in November.
Grambling State’s Shaniah Nunn earned First-Team All SWAC honors after leading the SWAC in rebounding with a 7.9 per game average. The IX Baksetball went in-depth on Nunn and teammate Monica Marsh in January. Grambling State ended the season by winning four of its final five games.
Though Prairie View A&M didn’t win a conference game, Crystal Schultz and C.J. Wilson were third and fifth, respectively, in scoring. In January, The IX Basketball detailed the bond between Schultz and Wilson. Schultz was named to the All-SWAC Second Team.
Florida A&M guard Tahnyjia Purifoy selected to the All-SWAC Second Team was a full-circle for her after overcoming fractures in her lower L5 vertebra that The IX Basketball featured in December. She averaged 10.7 points per game, which was second behind Shaniyah McCarthy’s 13.0 points per game. Purifoy, a 5’0 dynamo, has been a playmaker supreme, handing out at least five assists in four of the Rattlers’ final six games.
In a season-ending setback to in-state foe FAMU, Bethune-Cookman’s Mya Johnson and Sanai Tyler tied their season high with 12 points each to lead the Wildcats. Tyler also finished with nine rebounds. Tyler Butler scored 11 points. Daimoni Dorsey leads the Wildcats in scoring at 9.3 points per game.
Mississippi Valley State ended its regular season by beating Jackson State, 66-50, on the road behind Kylah McCullers’ career-high 19 points. She ended the season by scoring in double figures in two of her final three games. Ariel Jefferson also has five double-doubles this season for the Devilettes. The IX Basketball profiled Jefferson in December.
