Alcorn Women’s Basketball to Host South Alabama in WNIT First Round
Romeo Guzman
Alcorn State University will host South Alabama in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament on Saturday, March 21, at the Davey L. Whitney Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m., marking the first time the program has hosted a WNIT game.
The appearance is only the third postseason in the history of Alcorn Women’s Basketball. The program’s last postseason came during the 2004-05 season under coach Shirley A. Gibbs-Walker, when the team played Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament after winning the SWAC regular-season and tournament titles.
This season, Alcorn finished with a 17-12 record overall and a 14-4 mark in SWAC play. The team earned the No. 2 seed in the SWAC Tournament but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 64-60. The Braves closed the season with an overall record of 17-13.
Alcorn arrives at the postseason after losing its last two games, both to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The team is 10-3 at home this season, with losses to Nicholls, UAPB, and Jackson State in overtime.
The Braves are led by Nakia Cheatham, the 2026 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-SWAC First Team selection, who scored 395 points this season. She also leads the team in rebounds with 228 and blocks with 31. Kiarra Henderson ranks second in scoring with 304 points and is the team’s top rebounder with 188, while also leading in assists with 133. Maya Hunkin-Claytor set a school record with 71 made three-pointers this season, shooting 34.3 percent beyond the arc.
South Alabama enters the tournament after a seven-game winning streak, which was halted by James Madison in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals. This marks the Jaguars’ fifth WNIT appearance, with their last coming in 2019 against Wyoming.
Ticket and parking information is available through MyImpactTickets.com. For more details about the WNIT, visit WomensNIT.com. Fans can follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports) and on Instagram (@AlcornSports), or watch behind-the-scenes content on the Braves Sports Network on YouTube.
Source: Original Article
