No. 4 Philander Smith advances to Semifinals, No. 8 Talladega moves on to Quarterfinals

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - No. 4 seed Philander Smith University women's basketball team advances to the semifinals of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship and No. 8 seed Talladega College pulled out a hard-fought victory over No. 9 seed Oakwood University to reach the quarterfinals Thursday at Stillman College's Birthright Alumni Hall.

QUARTERFINALS
No. 4 PHILANDER SMITH UNIVERSITY 43, No. 5 FISK UNIVERSITY 40
Boxscore

Philander Smith University women's basketball player Miracle Thomas drained a 3-pointer from the right corner with 9.4 seconds remaining to lead the No. 4 seed Lady Panthers to the semifinals with a 43-40 victory over No. 5 seed Fisk University in the quarterfinals of the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Thursday.

Points were hard to come by as neither shot above 30 percent with Philander Smith outshooting Fisk 26.7 to 23.7 percent. It led 18-14 at halftime. Isis Isom hit a 3-pointer and Kimberlynn Washington hit a jumper to put the Lady Panthers in front.

Fisk (11-17) took the lead in the third quarter on a layup by Jayla Bibbs with 3:39 left in the third. Isom briefly put the Lady Panthers back in front. A layup by Dee Scott put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 28-25 entering the fourth quarter.

A jumper by Bibbs with 7:48 sparked an 8-1 run. Courtney Lumpkins hit two layups and a pair of free throws to put the Lady Bulldogs ahead by eight. Philander Smith didn't hit a field goal until Dasia Turner made a layup with 4:32 remaining. Thomas stole the ball and laid in it. Later she dished to Jade Myles, who pulled the Lady Panthers within two with a three. 

Samya Johnson stole the ball and tied the game at 37 on a layup with 1:48 left. Lumpkins gave the lead back to Fisk as she hit a layup and a free throw. Thomas tied the game with 1:12 remaining on a 3-pointer. The Lady Bulldogs had a chance to retake the lead but Myles blocked Lumpkins' layup and Thomas got the rebound, setting up her game-winning shot, which was assisted by Johnson. Fisk could not attempt a game-tying shot as Johnson stole the ball and threw it to Turner, who ran out the clock.

Thomas led all scorers with 15 points off the bench. She also recorded five rebounds and a team-high three assists.  Isom followed with seven points and five rebounds. Turner battled foul trouble and was limited to six points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Myles contributed six points.

Bibbs led Fisk by recording her second double-double of the tournament with 12 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals. Lumpkins followed with nine points and eight rebounds. Keeli Burton-Oliver posted a game-high 13 rebounds while adding six points and two blocked shots.

The Lady Panthers advance to the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. It will face the winner of No. 1 Stillman College and No. 8 Talladega College at 1 p.m. Saturday.

OPENING ROUND
No. 8 TALLADEGA COLLEGE 69, No. 9 OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY 63
Boxscore

Oakwood (10-15) grabbed the lead at the end of the first quarter. Jon'Toyrian McNeal made two layups and Trenisha Adams hit a jumper to give the Ambassadors a 19-14 lead after one. A 3-pointer by Kamaria Murray increased the margin to nine. Talladega closed the gap at the end of the first half. Courtney Lowe hit two threes to trim the margin to three at the break.

The second half remained nip-and-tuck. Talladega opened up a four-point lead with buckets from Anteresa Dickson and Kameron Jones. Adams hit a 3-pointer to trim the lead to one. Talladega led 52-51 after the third quarter.  

The Ambassadors briefly led in the fourth quarter on shots made by McNeal and Morgan Bone. The Tornadoes answered. DeJaria Lewis hit two shots to give Talladega a 64-60 lead with 2:41 remaining. A layup by Teanna Watts increased the margin to seven. 

Watts led all scorers with 24 points on seven made field goals. She converted nine of 11 free throws. Beautiful Curry followed with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Lewis led the team with 10 rebounds.

Murray led Oakwood with 20 points, with seven made shots, including three 3-pointers. Saniya Keys, the 2024-25 HBCUAC Player and Freshman of the Year, followed with 17 points and eight rebounds. Bone provided seven points and eight rebounds.  Madison McDonald also added eight rebounds.

The Tornadoes (10-12) will advance and face No. 1 seed and HBCUAC regular season champion Stillman College in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday. The Tigers won both regular season meetings.

FRIDAY QUARTERFINAL GAMES

No. 3 Tougaloo College (14-12) vs. No. 6 Wiley University (13-13), 10 a.m. Live Stats
No. 2 Dillard University (17-8) vs. No. 7 Rust College (12-15), 2 p.m. Live Stats
No. 1 Stillman College (24-4) vs. No. 8 Talladega College (10-12), 6 p.m. Live Stats