D'IBERVILLE, MISS. – The Southern University Lady Jaguars (40-39, 17-11) went 4-0 today at the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Round-up at Cypress Lanes in D'Iberville, Miss. to finish third overall in the SWAC regular season.
"I could not be prouder of this group," Head Coach
Barry Doyle said about the team's performance over the weekend. "At the first roundup we had a record of 7-7. I challenged these ladies to go at least 10-4 this time around. After starting day one 2-3 these ladies did not lose focus, continued to bowl amazing all weekend and finished with a 10-4 record."
That 10-4 mark pushed the Lady Jaguars over .500 for the first time since they were 10-8 on November 5, 2021.
An earlier than normal start time had the Lady Jaguars come out slower than normal, but the results were still the same. Southern swept Alabama A&M in conference play, winning today's game 936-795.
Jailyn Rogers continued her dominance on the SWAC shooting a 213.
Hannah Grather was next high with a 192. She was followed by
Alanna Coward and
Nyla Wilson. Coward's 191 continued her exceptional tournament. Wilson finished out with a 181.
The Lady Jaguars woke up and took that into game two against Florida A&M. Looking to get revenge from a Friday loss and take sole possession of third place, SU defeated the Rattlers 966-965. Rogers,235, needed to strike on her first ball and get a nine to secure the win.
Kelsey Quinney shot a 205 for the only other 200. Grather almost hit that plateau with a 195. Wilson had a solid 179 in the leadoff position.
After falling behind early against Alabama State, the Lady Jaguars fought their way back to within 20 going into the ninth frame. They cut the Hornets lead down to just one with one frame to go. The first four bowlers put Rogers in a good position to secure the win. Wilson led off with a 201, Quinney shot 211, Grather had a 179, and Coward threw a 182. Rogers struck on the first two in the tenth to secure the victory 938-918.
A win against rival Grambling would secure a third-place finish in the tournament and overall, for the SWAC regular season. The Lady Jaguars came out and dominated the Tigers 895-722.
Lindsey Ugas led the way in the final game with a 191. Quinney was the next highest with a 183, followed by Wilson's 180, and Coward's 176.
Southern was able to win the final four games of the tournament and eight of the last nine. The late push helped the Lady Jaguars finish tied for second in the East Round-Up.
For the tournament, Rogers finished in fifth with a 206.93 average. She was followed by Coward,194.36, in eighth and Wilson,193.43, in 10
th. Grather and Quinney both finished in the top-30.
Rogers settled in fourth overall, 194.25, for first team all-conference. Grather came away with a second team all-conference 184.79. Coward finished out in 16
th with a 181.54.
Rogers ended up having the highest average among the freshman in the SWAC. That accomplishment made her Freshman of the Year.
"At the beginning of the season, I told the four freshmen that Southern would have the Freshman of the Year and they did that." said Doyle.
The Lady Jaguars will next travel to Atlanta for the TNBA/HCBU Tournament from March 4-6.
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