Top-seeded Rust eliminates SUNO in GCAC women’s basketball tourney

TOUGALOO, Miss. – A commanding first-half performance lifted top seed Rust to a 65-47 win over Southern University at New Orleans in the opening round of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball.

Rust jumped out to a 10-point lead and continued to pile on the points. By halftime, the Lady Bearcats led 31-19, paced by seven points from Derekiya Patterson.

Scrappy SUNO battled in the second stanza adding points late in the game but were unable to overcome the deficit that began in the first half. The Lady Knights were able to move to within eight, 41-33, late in the third quarter. However, Rust would not be denied, adding 20 more points in the final quarter en route to its 64-47 win.

Patterson logged a team-high 12 points and Katie Blackmon recorded a game-high seven rebounds. Three Lady Knights reached double figures, led by Jordan Harris with 11 followed by Aalexuz Bourne and Mckenna Harris each with 10 points.

No. 1 Rust will face the winner of #4 Wiley College and #5 Dillard University on Saturday, February 25 at 5 p.m. in the semifinals of the 2023 Hope Credit Union GCAC Women’s Basketball Championship.