ATLANTA – Bethune-Cookman women's basketball will take on the Texas Southern Tigers in the first round of the SWAC tournament at Gateway Center Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday morning, with the game being streamed live on ESPN+.


Monday, March 9
Opponent: No. 10 Texas Southern (10-20, 6-12)
Time: 11 a.m. EST
Location: Atlanta, Ga. | Gateway Center Arena
Watch: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?eventCalendarId=401851763
Listen: youtube.com/cateyenetwork
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.com/search?q=2026+Pepsi+SWAC+Basketball+Tournament+presented+by+Buick

1st Quarter

Florida A&M opened the game with strong offensive pressure, jumping out to an early lead behind a quick scoring run.

The Rattlers capitalized on turnovers and transition opportunities to build momentum early. Bethune-Cookman settled in late in the quarter with baskets from Tyler Butler and Sanai Tyler, but Florida A&M held a 22–14 advantage at the end of the period.

As a team, FAMU shot 62.5% in the period compared to 36.5% for B-CU.

2nd Quarter

The Wildcats began to find their rhythm in the second quarter, tightening the gap with improved ball movement and defensive stops.

Butler and Tyler helped spark the offense as Bethune-Cookman cut the deficit to just a few possessions midway through the frame.

Florida A&M responded with timely scoring of its own and carried a 37–30 lead into halftime.

3rd Quarter

Florida A&M pushed its lead back to double digits early in the third quarter, knocking down a perimeter shot and converting several key possessions.

Bethune-Cookman continued to battle behind Mya Johnson and Tyler Butler, who helped keep the Wildcats within striking distance. Despite the effort, the Rattlers maintained a 54–45 lead heading into the final quarter.

4th Quarter

Bethune-Cookman mounted its strongest push in the fourth.

A 3-pointer from Shomari Phillips and free throws from Jordan Brooks helped the Wildcats chip away at the deficit and bring the margin to single digits with under four minutes to play.

Florida A&M, however, converted at the free-throw line down the stretch to hold off the rally and secure the 66–60 win.

The Texas Southern finished 10-20 overall with a 6-12 record in SWAC play. They are coming off a blowout win over Prairie View A&M in which they scored 111 points, good for its second-highest scoring output of the season.

The Tigers are led by sophomore guard/forward Taliyah Longwood, who finished second in the SWAC in scoring at 14.5 points per game. She is fresh off a dominant performance against the Panthers, recording a season-high 35 points on 10-of-20 shooting. She was recently named All-SWAC First Team.

At the conclusion of the regular season, TSU ranked first in the league in scoring overall and second behind only Alabama A&M in conference scoring. On the defense end, they rank in the bottom three in points allowed.

The Tigers do not shoot three-pointers with a ton of success, instead preferring to generate points in the paint. They are a strong rebounding team and rank second overall in field goal attempts as they clearly value extra possessions.


The Wildcats have yet to face the Tigers in a SWAC tournament game. Texas Southern leads the all-time series three games to two, but B-CU won the only regular season matchup this season at Moore Gymnasium.

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