“Our defense won the Championship today, the team was resilient and never thought they would lose,” is what Head Coach Toyelle Wilson said Saturday after the Lady Panthers came out on top against the Southern University Lady Jaguars in the 2011 SWAC championship game in Garland, Texas.With ESPNU cameras and a mixed crowd of SWAC alums and current students, stakes were high in the game as an automatic bid to the women’s NCAA tournament was on the line. The Lady Jaguars came out firing on all cylinders as they jumped out to a 10-2 lead in opening minutes of the first half and the Lady Panthers could not find the bucket. But the recurring story and mantra of the Lady Panthers all year has been great defense and execution, as it sparked a 12-3 run to give them their first lead of the game at the 7:19 minute mark of the first half.
The game would be tied a third time at 22-22 at the 3:38 minute mark and the Lady Panthers closed the half on a 5-0 run capped off by a five-foot bank shot by senior guard Dominique Smith. Smith’s bucket came after a steal and assist by freshman guard Lereahn Washington. The Lady Panthers would go into the half with a 27-22 lead.
Southern came out on a 7-0 run to regain the lead in the first 3 minutes of the second half. The Lady Panthers came out on a shooting slump, committed a series of turnovers, and it seemed as if their season was coming to an end as the Lady Jags held an eight-point lead with 5:13 left in the game.
Wilson’s squad would go on another 12-0 run to regain the lead, led a stellar defensive effort from Freshman Siarra Soliz, as she drew a charge with 55 seconds left to play, and the Lady Panthers down by one. Senior forward Robin Jones also played a key role down the stretch as she would hit a mid range jumper to put the Lady Panthers up 45-44 with 33 seconds left followed by another charge with 27 seconds left in the game.
Soliz and Jones were both named to the All-Tournament Team and Soliz led all scorers in the game with 21 points. With their birth in the NCAA tournament, the No. 16 seed Lady Panthers will now face Dallas Region top-seeded Baylor University Lady Bears (31-2) in the opening of the 2011 Women’s NCAA tournament.