Southern overtakes Samford late for First Four victory

Field Level Media|published: Thu 19th March, 21:22 2026

Iowa State Cyclones' guard Jada Williams (8) shoots the ball over Southern Lady Jaguars forward DeMya Porter (24) during the third quarter on Nov. 5, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum, Ames.

Jaylia Reed scored 16 points and DeMya Carter contributed 15 on Thursday night as Southern went on a game-ending 14-2 run to subdue Samford 65-53 in an Women's NCAA Tournament First Four matchup in Columbia, S.C.

The game was tied at 51 with 6:59 left after Carla Baguda hit a layup for the Bulldogs. But Reed canned a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Jaguars never looked back. Samford went scoreless for 4:42 during the clinching spurt.

Jocelyn Tate added 10 for Southern (20-13), which shot just 39.7% from the field but made up for it by forcing 19 turnovers and converting those into 20 points. The Jaguars advance as a No. 16 seed to meet top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in a Sacramento 4 Region game at Columbia.

Briana Rivera scored a game-high 16 points for the Bulldogs (16-19), who won eight of their previous 10 games, including all three in the Southern Conference tournament.

--Field Level Media

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