Top Two Seeds Advance, No. 6 Wiley upsets No. 3 Tougaloo
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) regular season champion and No. 1 seed Stillman College and No. 2 seed Dillard University survived upset bids but No. 6 seed Wiley University continued its run by knocking off No. 3 seed Tougaloo College in the quarterfinals of the HBCUAC 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Friday at Stillman College's Birthright Alumni Hall.
No. 1 STILLMAN COLLEGE 54, No. 8 TALLADEGA COLLEGE 50
Boxscore
Playing in front of its home crowd, the HBCUAC regular season champion and No. 1 seed Stillman College held off a feisty No. 8 seed Talladega College in a 54-50 victory in the HBCU Athletic Conference 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Thursday.
Talladega (10-13) got the jump on the host Tigers, scoring the first seven points. Kiersten Usher hit two shots and got a steal. Stillman found its footing after taking the court for the first time in over a week. Three-pointers by Raena Suggs and Hannah Boykin-Williams gave them a 10-8 lead, it would hold a 14-12 edge after the first quarter.
The Tigers dominated the second quarter, holding the Tornadoes to two points. Jamariah Turner hit a 3-pointer that sparked an eight-point run. A jumper by Jaida Minter and a layup by Boykin-Williams put Stillman up 25-14 at the break.
Stillman maintained its advantage most of the quarter. Dejaria Lewis hit two shots, Kayla Pryor and Kameron Jones hit jumpers to cut the deficit to five at the end of the third. Beautiful Curry hit a jumper and 3-pointer to tie the game at 41 with 6:41 left. She hit a layup with 3:21 left, which put the Tornadoes ahead 45-44 with 3:21 left. Farrah Pearson gave the lead back to Stillman after she was followed on an offensive rebound and later hit a layup to put Stillman in front by three.
Jones tied the game with a 3-pointer with 1:59 left. Pearson immediately put the Tigers up and this time for good with a layup. Talladega had opportunities at an equalizer but it missed its last five shots and turned the ball over twice.
Suggs led Stillman with 14 points. Pearson followed with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Boykin-Williams contributed nine points, five assists and four steals.
Curry led the Tornadoes with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The Tigers will face No. 4 Philander Smith University in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Panthers beat Fisk University 43-40 on Thursday.
No. 2 DILLARD UNIVERSITY 59, No. 7 RUST COLLEGE 57
Boxscore
In a tightly contested HBCU Athletic Conference 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship quarterfinal, the No. 2 seed Dillard University outlasted No. 7 seed Rust College 59-57 Thursday at Birthright Alumni Hall.
Dillard (18-8) led by as many as seven in the first half on layups by Skyler Christmas and Cassidy Lowe and a 3-pointer by Faith Alessandra. Rust battled back and cut the margin to three at the end of the first quarter after a 3-pointer by Mykaylah Gray. A layup by Jasmin Malone and a jumper by Amber Scott gave Rust a 29-25 lead with 3:01 left in the second. It was held scoreless the rest of the quarter and Dillard took a 30-29 lead at intermission on a layup by D'Mya Ferguson.
Shots made by Alessandra, Lowe and Ferguson gave Dillard a 40-35 lead with 2:41 left in the third. Patsy Johnson hit a 3-pointer and Michaela Payton hit a layup to tie the game entering the fourth quarter. A layup and a 3-pointer by Johnson put Rust ahead 45-41 early in the fourth quarter.
Christmas made a layup and-one which sparked a 10-point run for the Lady Bleu Devils. Azaria Knox put them on top with a layup. Another and-one by Christmas increased the lead to 51-45 with 5:23 left. Rust wasn't ready to surrender. Johnson cut the lead in half with a three with 2:47 left. Two free throws by Cameryn Morris cut the lead to one. Talyia Cawthon stole the ball and scored to give Rust a 57-56 lead with 2:16 remaining.
The Lady Bleu Devils immediately took the lead back with a layup by Knox. Rust had a couple chances to reclaim the lead but it missed its last two shots and turned the ball over.
Christmas led the scoring for the Lady Bleu Devils with 14 points, closely followed by Ferguson, who recorded a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Lowe notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and made her presence felt on defense with three blocks.
Johnson led Rust with 27 points on 10 made field goals and five 3-pointers. Scott followed with eight points and a team high nine rebounds. Cawthon recorded four steals and Gray led the Lady Bearcats with three assists.
The Lady Bleu Devils will meet Wiley University in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday. They took both regular season meetings from the Lady Wildcats.
No. 6 WILEY UNIVERSITY 73, No. 3 TOUGALOO COLLEGE 54
Boxscore
No. 6 seed Wiley University women's basketball team took the lead in the second quarter and didn't give it up as it knocked off No. 3 seed Tougaloo College 73-54.
Tougaloo took a 17-8 lead with 2:42 remaining in the first quarter with Morgan Williams, Makaila Brown, Shawnda Gray hitting shots and Taylor Lucas Howard hitting a 3-pointer. Wiley cut the margin to three on two 3-pointers by Kendall Campbell. In the second quarter, the Lady Wildcats took the lead when Celebria Peacock tied the game with a 3-pointer and Nerestant split a pair of free throws. A layup by Mer'cades Miller gave the lead back to the Lady Bulldogs. Nerestant made a layup and was fouled. She converted the 3-point play. Peacock made a second-chance bucket as Wiley took a 29-25 lead at halftime.
Campbell scored an offensive putback, and hit a 3-pointer. Mya Jones and Mary Leday hit jumpers to increase the lead to 11. Tougaloo made a push near the end of the third with Maia Turner hitting two 3-pointers and Brown getting a steal and score to cut the margin to one with 2:24 remaining. The Lady Wildcats retook momentum for good. Dozier and Campbell hit 3-pointers and Nerestant put back her own miss to give them a 50-41 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Wiley took control early in the fourth quarter. Leday stole the ball and scored. A steal by Nerestant set up a layup for Campbell, increasing the lead to 15. Tougaloo didn't have answer as the Lady Wildcats pushed their advantage to 20.
For the second straight game, Campbell led the Lady Wildcats with 16 points and four steals. She hit six shots, including four 3-pointers. Nerestant followed with 14 points and was a rebound shy of her 12th double-double with nine. Jones provided 12 points and eight rebounds. Kelechi Dike supplied 12 points and six rebounds.
Brown led Tougaloo with 13 points and eight rebounds. Miller followed with 10 points and eight rebounds. JaSharreah Hunt contributed 10 points and six assists.
The Lady Wildcats reach the semifinals for the first time as a member of the conference after joining in 2022.
SATURDAY's SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Stillman College (25-4) vs. No. 4 Philander Smith (18-10), 1 p.m., Live Stats
No. 2 Dillard University (18-8) vs. No. 6 Wiley University (14-13), 3 p.m., Live Stats
-HBCUAC-
About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.