The Southern University Lady Jaguars’ historic NCAA Tournament journey ended on Friday night in a loss to the top-seeded UCLA Bruins 84-46 in the first round at Pauley Pavilion.
Despite the lopsided score, Southern (21-15) fought hard against one of the nation’s top teams. The Jaguars, fresh off their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory earlier in the week, struggled to keep pace with UCLA’s size and speed.
“UCLA is a great team with so many weapons,” said Southern’s leading scorer Aniya Gourdine, who finished with 10 points. “We gave it our all, but they were just better tonight.”
Southern head coach Carlos Funchess praised his team’s effort despite the outcome. “I’m incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished this season,” Funchess said. “We made history for our program and represented the SWAC with pride. UCLA’s talent and size were just too much to overcome.”