We are back in action for the second half of the Rust vs Dillard Women’s Basketball game & Rust Cheer is bringing allll of the energy🔥🔥‼️
— Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (@GCACSports) February 26, 2023
Tune into @hbcu_plus to watch the remainder of this semifinal matchup!!
📸: @KasyahSydnor pic.twitter.com/rxugdRba40
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Women’s Semifinals
#3 Philander Smith College Lady Panthers 70, #2 Fisk University Lady Bulldogs 58
#5 Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils 45, #1 Rust College Lady Bearcats 58
#3 PHILANDER SMITH 70 def. #2 FISK 58
TOUGALOO, Miss. - In a game where every possession mattered, it would come down to the final 90 seconds between Philander Smith College and Fisk University to seal a spot in the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Championship title game. In the end, another upset was in the tournament books as the Lady Panthers held on for the 70-58 win.
With a spot in the championship game on the line, both teams struggled to settle in and find an offensive groove early. The Lady Bulldogs opened the scoring with a corner three by Laila Eliotti. Philander Smith responded with a pair of quick defensive stops and transition baskets by All-GCAC First Team honoree Myia Yelder to even up the score, 5-5. The quarter would conclude with a 15-12 lead for the Lady Panthers as GCAC Player of the Year Fisk’s Maya Buckhanon would net a free throw to trim the Philander Smith lead to three, 15-12.
The second quarter would open with Fisk using back-to-back baskets to pull ahead. However, the Lady Panthers would answer with a series of interior shots to regain the lead. By the conclusion of the frame, the Lady Panthers would go on a 17- 8 run and enter the locker room up, 38-28. Despite being constantly double and triple-teamed, Buckhanon, who was also named All-Defensive Team, Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-GCAC, notched a double-double before the break.
Fisk started strong at the top of the third quarter with a 5-2 run, thanks to a right-wing three by Zipporah Davis to cut the Philander Smith lead to single digits. By the midpoint of the quarter, the Lady Panthers would stretch their lead with a corner three by Dasia Turner helping to keep momentum in their favor. At the end of the quarter, the Lady Panthers held a 56-45 lead heading into the final quarter.
The final quarter saw the scoring gap between the teams narrow to six, 56-50, after the first four minutes. By the midpoint of the quarter, the Lady Panthers would use a scoring flurry to increase the difference to double digits, 60-50. In the waning minutes of the game, it came down to time of possession and free throws. Yelder sank two clutch shots at the charity stripe to put the game out of reach for the Lady Bulldogs by the score 70-58, sending the Lady Panthers to the championship title game.
The Lady Panthers finished with four players in double figures led by Yelder’s 14 points, followed by Turner with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Meleana Williams and Elaijha Brown each recorded 10 points. The Lady Bulldogs were led in scoring by Buckhanon, who posted a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Mya Allen and Anaya Davis also scored in double figures with 13 and 10, respectively.
The No. 3 Philander Smith College Lady Panthers will face the No. 1 Rust College Lady Bearcats on Sunday, February 26 at 2 p.m. in the championship title game of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball Championship.
TOUGALOO, Miss. - It was a game of runs, and the top seed rallied down the stretch to move on to the title game of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball Championship. The Rust College Lady Bearcats pushed past the fifth-seeded Dillard University Lady Bleu Devils, 58-45.
Both teams came ready to play from the opening whistle. A quick three by Dekeriya Patterson for the Lady Bearcats and followed by consecutive layups by Dillard’s Alexis Gie and Jordyn Rowe started scoring for both teams this game. By the midway point of the first quarter, neither team could grasp a hold momentum as each team made strong defensive stops to keep the Lady Bearcats ahead by one, 8-7. The quarter would come to a close with offense being scarce for both teams, until a deep top of the arc by Faith Cattouse extended Rust’s lead to six, 15-9.
The second frame would be more of the same with the Lady Bearcats went up by eight while the Lady Bleu Devils tried to pick up the defensive intensity. As the quarter progressed towards the midpoint, Rust would use a 9-3 run to pull ahead by 12 points, 24-12. The Lady Bleu Devils would respond with back-to-back jumpers by Gie and Taylor Dewitt to cut into the lead but Rust followed with consecutive fast-break layups to push the point differential back into double digits. The first half concluded with the Lady Bearcats expanding their lead to 11, taking a 29-18 lead into the locker room.
The third stanza saw the Lady Bearcats use back-to-back baskets from Niya McGuire to pull ahead by 15. The Lady Bleu Devils attempted to string together a run to inch closer but Rust dug in its collective heels. By the end of the quarter, the lead had been cut down to nine, behind free throws from Dewitt.
Lady Bearcats pushed their lead back to double digits, thanks to jumpers from Patterson and Lyric Turner early in the fourth quarter. The Lady Bleu Devils slowly clawed their way back into the game but were forced to burn a timeout at the 6:31 mark after an offensive explosion from Rust, capped with another Patterson trey to push the lead to 16, 50-34. An offensive flurry brought the Lady Bearcats lead down to eight. However, it would be too late for Dillard as successful trips to the free throw line by Katie Blackmon and Madison Riley put the game away for good and punched Rust’s ticket into the championship with a final score of 58-45.
The No. 1 Rust College Lady Bearcats will tip off against the No.3 Philander Smith College Lady Panthers on Sunday, February 26 at 2 p.m. in the championship title game 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.
Watch all the GCAC action on HBCU League Pass+
Danielle "Dani" Wright |
Director of Strategic Communications |
P: (330) 554-6998 |
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