BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — Southern defeated Grambling 59-45 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Clark Activity Center. The Lady Jaguars (14-11) used a 17-point second quarter to build a 29-28 halftime lead and pulled away in the second half, holding the Lady Tigers (9-17) to just 17 points after the break. Southern capitalized on turnovers, scoring 25 points off Grambling miscues. Demya Porter led Southern with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven blocks. Alisha Murray recorded a double-double for Grambling with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Attendance was 5,139.

BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — In a dominant defensive display, the Southern women’s basketball team secured a season sweep of its archrival, stifling Grambling in a 59-45 victory Saturday at a raucous Clark Activity Center. A crowd of 5,139 watched the Lady Jaguars (14-11, 9-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference) use relentless pressure to overwhelm the visiting Lady Tigers (9-17, 7-6), forcing 24 turnovers and converting them into 25 points. The win solidified Southern’s position in the upper tier of the SWAC standings and avenged a loss in last season’s conference tournament championship game between the two programs. The game was decided by Southern’s defensive intensity and Grambling’s profound offensive struggles. The Lady Tigers managed just 14 field goals on 49 attempts, a frigid 28.6 percent from the floor. Their woes were particularly acute from beyond the arc, where they hit only one of 12 attempts. Southern, while not shooting lights out at 32.1 percent, created far more opportunities through its defense and controlled the glass with a 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Southern’s Demya Porter was the game’s most impactful player. The junior from Bogue Chitto, Mississippi, posted a near quadruple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds and a staggering seven blocked shots, anchoring a Southern defense that finished with 10 blocks and 19 steals as a team. Her presence in the paint altered countless Grambling attempts and fueled the Lady Jaguars’ transition game. The contest was a grind from the opening tip, with both teams struggling to find an offensive rhythm. The first quarter ended tied at 12, but Southern began to create separation before halftime. A key sequence late in the second quarter exemplified the game’s flow. After Grambling’s Shaniah Nunn converted a layup to cut Southern’s lead to 27-25 with 48 seconds left, Porter answered immediately at the other end with a layup assisted by Mykayla Cunningham. Southern then forced a turnover and Porter struck again with a steal, leading to a Cunningham-assisted layup just before the buzzer to give the Lady Jaguars a 29-25 halftime advantage. That momentum carried into the second half. Southern opened the third quarter on an 8-2 run, capped by another Porter layup, to extend the lead to 37-27. Grambling never recovered. The Lady Tigers’ offense completely stalled in the fourth quarter, scoring just seven points on 2-of-14 shooting as Southern steadily pulled away, leading by as many as 16 points. Beyond Porter’s stat-stuffing line, Southern received balanced contributions. Mykayla Cunningham of Salina, Kansas, orchestrated the offense with seven assists to go with seven points. Jocelyn Tate from North Little Rock, Arkansas, added eight points, six rebounds and three assists, while Zaria Hurston of Decatur, Georgia, controlled the glass with nine rebounds. Grambling was led by Alisha Murray, who recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Zaria Johnson added eight points, but no other Lady Tiger scorer reached double figures. The team’s offensive rating of 63.0 on 71 possessions underscored a afternoon of futility against Southern’s swarming defense. The victory gives Southern a 2-0 edge in the season series after a 60-43 win in Grambling on Jan. 17. It also marks a significant rebound for the Lady Jaguars, who had dropped two of their last three conference games coming in. Grambling, which had won three of its last four, sees a promising streak snapped in emphatic fashion. Southern will look to maintain its defensive form when it hosts Florida A&M on Thursday. Grambling aims to regroup at home against Bethune-Cookman, also on Thursday.

Preview: Grambling Lady Tigers at Southern Lady Jaguars BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — The Southern women’s basketball team will look to complete a regular-season sweep of its biggest rival when it hosts Grambling on Saturday at Clark Activity Center in a key Southwestern Athletic Conference matchup. The Lady Jaguars (13-11 overall) won the first meeting 60-43 in Grambling on Jan. 17. Southern has won two straight, including a 60-45 road victory at Prairie View on Feb. 14 behind 17 points and eight rebounds from forward Zaria Hurston. Grambling (9-16) has shown recent improvement, winning two of its last three games. The Lady Tigers are coming off a 73-50 road win at Texas Southern on Feb. 14, where guard Shaniah Nunn scored 17 points with seven rebounds. Nunn has been a consistent offensive force for Grambling, scoring in double figures in six consecutive games, averaging 15.2 points per contest during that stretch. Her play will be crucial for a Lady Tigers squad seeking to avenge its January loss and improve its positioning ahead of the SWAC tournament. Southern’s Hurston is also entering on a high note, coming off her season-high 17-point performance. Her versatility as a scorer and rebounder will test Grambling’s interior defense. Despite its sub-.500 record, Grambling has proven capable, with recent wins over Texas Southern and Prairie View by an average of 19.5 points. Southern, however, holds the advantage in both the standings and the recent head-to-head result. The game tips off at 3 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Southern’s next game is at home against Florida A&M on Feb. 26. Grambling will next host Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 26.