2025 SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by Buick, thrills
The Southern Jaguars are back on top. With a dominant 64-44 victory over Alcorn State at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park (GA) on Saturday, March 16, Southern clinched its second SWAC Tournament championship in three seasons and secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Jaguars, led by SWAC Tournament MVP Aniya Gourdine, showcased their defensive prowess and offensive depth to capture the program’s seventh conference title since 2002.
For Gourdine, a Baltimore native, this championship was personal. She still remembered Southern’s 59-55 overtime loss to Alcorn on February 1 and last year’s SWAC quarterfinal defeat at the hands of the Braves. This time, she made sure history wouldn’t repeat itself.
Gourdine filled the stat sheet in the title game, tallying nine points, four rebounds, three assists, a block, and two steals to help Southern secure the win. Now, she and the Jaguars will await their NCAA Tournament seeding, with Selection Sunday revealing their first-round opponent.
SWAC Women’s All-Tournament Team
- Aniya Gourdine, Southern (MVP)
- Soniyah Reed, Southern
- Destiny Brown, Alcorn State
- Jaylia Reed, Mississippi Valley State
- Aylasia Fantroy, Texas Southern
What’s Next? Southern will find out its NCAA Tournament opponent on Selection Sunday, March 16. Selection Sunday determines the 68 teams competing in the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. The First Four is set for March 19-20 before the official first round tips off on March 21.
The 2025 SWAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by Buick, capped off a thrilling postseason, further proving why the SWAC remains one of the premier conferences in HBCU sports.
