How Soniyah Reed’s picture-perfect performance helped Southern to historic NCAA Tournament victory

It was only fitting because Reed and Gourdine delivered photoshoot-fresh performances, combining for 41 entertaining points to lift the Southern University women’s basketball team to a historic 68-56 triumph over UC San Diego in a First Four contest at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion Wednesday night. The Jaguars enhanced their legacy in a venue steeped in athletic greatness and rich history, securing the first NCAA Tournament win in not only in Southern’s distinguished history, but SWAC women’s basketball history.

“This win means the world to us,” Reed told reporters postgame. “We worked hard for this. Since the summer, we’ve been working. … Our coaches believe in us. They never doubt us. They always talk us up, and we come out and deliver for them.”

Southern joins Howard (2022) as one of two recent Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to win the First Four games in the NCAA Tournament. Proudly representing his conference, Funchess highlighted the SWAC’s toughness on the national stage following a game Southern never trailed.

“The SWAC is a quality league,” Funchess said. “Last year, we went and beat Oklahoma at Oklahoma, and they ended up winning the Big 12. We have some quality teams in this league, quality coaches and play really good basketball. It’s a tough league to win. To win the regular season and tournament is extremely hard.”

Playing relaxed and confident, Reed unleashed a dazzling shooting display.

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She was locked in, especially during a scorching sequence in the second quarter when she scored eight straight Southern points. After sinking another midrange jumper midway through the second quarter, Reed flashed a confident smile before sprinting back on defense, already locked in for the next play. Or her next shot attempt.

She made the most of her time on the floor, scoring 24 electric points in 17 memorable minutes. Reed was 8-for-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from 3-point distance. She also made all five of her free-throw attempts. At times, it looked like she was playing an arcade game of Hot Shot, as many of her shots barely touched the rim.

“Once I saw the first one or two shots going in, coach kept calling my number,” Reed told reporters during the postgame press conference. “When he calls my number, I’m going to deliver for him. So, they kept feeding me, and I had to cook. I got to do it. Once I saw my shot going in, my confidence was just through the roof, so I would keep shooting it.”

She was far from a solo act, though. Gourdine added 17 points and seven rebounds. Tionna Lidge finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 accuracy. DaKiyah Sanders handed out four assists. Lidge and Jocelyn Tate collected six rebounds each for the Jaguars.

“This win means a lot,” Gourdine said. “The most important thing is shining light on HBCUs. Just showing everybody that we belong here and can compete with the best. Soniyah is a great player, and it makes my job easier because I’m a player who can get into the lane. I know teams are not leaving her, but when they leave her, I’m looking for her every time, and I know it’s going through the net. She’s an unbelievable player and an even better teammate.”

Reed always said she wanted to be remembered when she finished her playing career. Nobody will ever forget this Southern squad. Reed is finishing her career with two NCAA Tournament appearances, two SWAC championships and an NCAA Tournament victory. Reed has left her mark and then some.

In playing the perfect first half, the Jaguars advanced to a first-round meeting with No. 1 overall seed UCLA on Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

Reed’s performance was so smooth and relentless that even Maya Moore would’ve nodded in approval. It was the best shooting performance in Los Angeles since Ray Allen made an NBA Finals-record eight 3-pointers against the Lakers at the former Staples Center in Game Two of the 2010 NBA Finals. Her effort was why Southern won the battle of the benches, 33-12.

“Congratulations to Southern on not just an excellent season, but a hard-fought game tonight,” UC San Diego head women’s basketball coach Heidi VanDerveer told reporters during the postgame press conference. “I thought that they came out and set the tone defensively. We struggled in the first half and weren’t in sync. They made us pay for every mistake we made. …  Southern is well-coached and very talented. Bringing (Reed) off the bench is a luxury. She got loose in our defense in the first half and made us pay.”

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A deeper dive into Reed’s performance revealed that she had done what she always had done. All three of her 3-pointers were from above the top of the key, where she thrived this season. According to CBB Analytics, Reed was a 40.7% shooter from that distance entering the game, 9.9% above the Division I average of 31.0%. She got to her favorite spot, and it showed.

In reaching double digits in scoring in her fourth consecutive contest, Reed enjoyed an 83.8% effort on her two-point shots (5-for-6). She entered the game shooting 43% on her two-point shots this season. With her 3-for-4 performance from 3-point distance, Reed made 75%, significantly higher than her season shooting of 39.8% from 3-point distance. She had three games in which she was perfect from beyond 3-point distance. Finally, Reed’s effective field goal percentage was 50.7% entering the game, which is strong. Against UC San Diego, Reed’s effective field goal percentage was 95%.

The first hit came with 3:54 remaining in the first quarter. Reed stepped back and swished a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Jaguars a 7-2 lead. Thirty-six seconds later, she provided a carbon copy that expanded their lead to 10-4. Reed was just getting warmed up.

She sank another triple that gave Southern a 15-8 lead. Then, when the Tritons ran her off the line, Reed dribbled and pulled up for a midrange deuce, giving Southern a nine-point edge, 17-8. She scored 11 of Southern’s 19 points in the first quarter.

By halftime, with Southern leading 40-20, Reed had almost as many points (19) as UC San Diego. While Reed’s pyrotechnic offensive showcase had the arena buzzing, Southern’s defense matched the energy, swarming at its fiercest.

The Jaguars held the Tritons to 29% shooting in the first half and outscored them 21-9 in the second quarter to expand their eight-point lead after the opening frame. Southern forced 10 UC San Diego turnovers, which made Funchess proud because Southern prides itself on its defense.

Even though UC San Diego’s terrific tandem of Sumayah Sugapong (19 points) and Parker Montgomery (15) combined for 25 of the Tritons’ 36 second-half points, Southern never panicked. The Tritons trailed, 49-40, entering the fourth quarter before closing the game strong.

“I thought our ladies came out and set the tone early, knocking down shots,” Funchess said. “Soniyah Reed was unbelievable starting the game off. Ari helped us close out the game, but they did a great job starting the game up. We had a 20-point lead. I knew they were going to make a run at some point. I didn’t know when, especially with how they shoot the basketball, but we did a great job of knocking down free throws and keeping our composure down the stretch.”

The challenge of the NCAA Tournament is that it rarely allows for the enjoyment of a victory. However, the Jaguars plan to savor this one because it’s special and it’s another jewel in their championship crown during this memorable campaign in which Southern has won 18 of its last 20 contests.

After rebounding from an 0-8 start against a brutal Power Four schedule, the Jaguars are now seven games above .500, playing confidently and purposely, proving that the early adversity only sharpened their resolve and reinforced their championship pedigree.

The beauty of this Southern team is its balance, and on any given night, anybody can have a hot hand.

Now, the Jaguars get the opportunity of a lifetime. In March, dreams can be as big as you wish.

When asked about facing UCLA, Gourdine’s face lit up. She’s from Baltimore, and this Southern program has seen it all so that it won’t be intimidated by the Bruins. They are excited about the challenge.

“It means everything,” Gourdine said. “That’s always what I dreamed of. It’s my first time here in the NCAA Tournament. … We’ve been talking about this moment since the summer, so it just means so much to me.”

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