SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The moment is almost here for the Lady Tigers. A chance at the big stage tomorrow afternoon versus the No. 2 seeded Baylor Lady Bears in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. The last time a champion was crowned in the NCAA Women's Tournament was 713 days ago when the Baylor Lady Bears took home the trophy by defeating Notre Dame by a final of 82-81 on April 7, 2019. The No. 15 seeded Jackson State Lady Tigers look to play spoiler tomorrow afternoon with tip-off set for 3 p.m. CST on ABC. 

#5/6 BAYLOR (25-2) vs. JACKSON STATE (18-5)
March 21, 2021 | 3 p.m. | NCAA Tournament Round 1
San Antonio, Texas | Alamodome
WATCH: ABC
TALENT: Beth Mowins (PBP), Renee Montgomery (Analyst),

JACKSON STATE LADY TIGERS (18-5)
2020-21 Record: 18-5 (SWAC: 14-1)
Rankings: No. 15 Seed
Head Coach: Tomekia Reed (3rd Season)
JSU Record: 55-29 (42-9 SWAC)
Key Leaders:
Ameshya Williams: 15.9 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 67 Blocked Shots
Dayzsha Rogan: 17.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 54 assists, 43 steals
Jariyah Covington: 10.0 PPG, 48 Assists, 30 Steals

#5/6 BAYLOR LADY BEARS (25-2)
2020-21 Record: 25-2 (BIG12: 17-1)
Rankings: No.2 Seed
Head Coach: Kim Mulkey
Baylor Record: 629-102 (292-61 BIG12) (21st Season)
Key Returners:
Queen Egbo: 11.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG
NaLyssa Smith: 18.1 PPG, 9.1 RPG
DiJonai Carrington: 13.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG


GAME 23 RECAP: JACKSON STATE 67 | ALABAMA STATE 66
Ticket Punched! Lady Tigers are going dancing after winning the SWAC Championship over Alabama State Saturday afternoon by a final score of 67-66 at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Ala. In the first quarter of play, the Lady Tigers and Lady Hornets were locked in to a close game midway through the quarter before JSU opened it up to a 22-14 lead at the end of one quarter. In the second quarter, ASU used a 9-4 swing to pull back to within a 29-23 deficit with 4:07 remaining in the half. Down the stretch of the second quarter, JSU knocked down seven free throws to take a 37-24 lead into the half. Cherelle Jones paced the Lady Tigers at the break with a team high 11 points and five rebounds. Dayzsha Rogan had 10 points at the half while Ameshya Williams had four points and five rebounds. I n the third quarter, Jackson State opened the game up to a 16-point, 42-26, lead just three minutes into the quarter. Alabama State used a 20-9 run to pull back within five points, 51- 46, at the end of the third quarter. With seven minutes to go in the game, leading 54-50, a four point turn around gave JSU a little bit of breathing room as they regained an eight point lead, 58-50. With two minutes left, ASU hit a three point shot to take a 63-61 lead. Williams hit a layup with a little over a minute in the contest to tie the game up at 63-63. Rogan knocked down two clutch free throws with 33 seconds to take 65-63 lead, yet another ASU three point shot gave them a one-point lead, 66-65, with 17.2 seconds left. It was Jones that once again put the Lady Tigers up, 67-66, with 13.9 seconds left with two made free throw attempts. Great defense in the final seconds of play and an Ameshya Wiliams rebound sealed the deal and gave JSU the ultimate 67-66 SWAC Championshop win over Alabama State. The Lady Tigers were led by Dayzsha Rogan with 25 points in the game and three assists who was named the SWAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Jones had 13 points and nine rebounds while Keshuna Luckett had nine points. Williams finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and six blocks. As a team, JSU was 20-of-52 from the field and out rebounded ASU 46-36.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Jackson State women's basketball team highlighted the 2020-21 All-SWAC Team. Senior Dayzsha Rogan was named SWAC Player of the Year and placed on the first team and Ameshya Williams earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team accolades. At the beginning of the season, Ameshya Williams was named to the Lisa Leslie Watch List for the top center in all of women's college basketball. This season, Williams has  garnered the BOXTOROW National Player of the Week, SWAC Player of the Week honor (4x), and recently was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She was also named first-team all-SWAC for the second season and named to NCAA's Starting Five for the week six.  For the season, Williams ranks fifth nationally in rebounding at 12.4 per game, while ranking in the top-15 nationally in blocks (23) and blocks per game (3.3). Williams is also among 20 members across women's college basketball up for the Lisa Leslie Award, which awards the nations top center in all of women's college basketball. Compared to other Lisa Leslie Watch List members, Williams ranks 1st in blocked shots (23), 1st in blocked shots per game (3.3), 1st in rebounds per game (12.4), 2nd in defensive rebounds (59), 3rd in total rebounds (87), and fifth in points per game (17.0). She is also the only member of the watch list to be ranked in the top-15 in five categories (Rebounds Per Game, Defensive Rebounds Per Game, Total Defensive Rebounds, Blocks, and Blocks Per Game) despite playing 1-2 less games than the majority of members on the list. On top of sweeping the individual SWAC awards prior to the season, Jackson State's Ameshya Williams was also named to the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List for the top center of the yea. Williams was the lone SWAC and HBCU student-athlete represented. Williams was ninth in the conference in scoring with an average of 12.8 points per game, second in rebounds with 10.1 rebounds per game (116 offensive, 156 defensive), fourth in field goal percentage (.468), and twelfth in free throw percentage (.543). She also ranked in the top five in the country in rebounds and top 15 in blocks and blocks per game.

• Leslie Watch List Nominee (Top Center in the Country)
• Boxtorow 1st Team All-American in 2020
• 2x 1st Team All-SWAC (2020, 2021)
• 2x SWAC Defensive Player of the Year (2020, 2021)
• National rankings for Ameshya
• #10 Rebounds per game (12.2 rebounds per game)
• #5 Blocked Shots (76 blocked shots)
• #6 Blocked Shots per game (3.17 blocks per game)
• #6 Rebounds (294 total rebounds)
• T-4 in Double-doubles (16 double-doubles)
• #18 Defensive Rebounds Per Game ( 8.2 rebounds per game)
• #16 Offensive Rebounds Per Game (4. 1 rebounds per game)

Rogan was the preeminent scorer in the conference. The Ripley, Mississippi native averaged 17.8 points per game and tallied 356 points. Rogan was an efficient 80.3 percent (53-for-66) from the free-throw line and her 49 three-pointers led the SWAC. She also ranked in the top 40 nationally with a 41.5 percent three-point field goal percentage and tallied 40 steals which was second in the conference.

• 2nd Team ALL SWAC (2020)
• 1st Team ALL SWAC (2021)
• SWAC Player of the Year (2021)
• SWAC Tournament MVP (2021)
• #2 in the SWAC in points per game (17.6 points per game)
• #7 in the SWAC in steals (2.0 per game game)
• #14 in SWAC in assists (2.5 per game)
• #2 in SWAC in 3PT field goals (2.4 per game)
• #6 in SWAC in field goal percentage (42.6 percent)

LADY TIGERS TRENDING UPWARD IN REED ERA
Tomekia Reed was named Jackson State Head Women's Basketball Coach in April of 2018. Reed is in her third season with the Lady Tigers, guiding JSU to an 18-5 overall record, 14-1 in the SWAC, a 16-game winning streak, while helping her team win the 2021 SWAC Championship for the first time at JSU since 2008. A season ago, she helped JSU capture a 16-2 SWAC record and the regular season SWAC championship in 2019-20. She was named the 2019-20 SWAC Coach of the Year. In three seasons, Coach Reed has quickly elevated the Lady Tigers to a 42-9 SWAC record, 30-4 record at home, and a 55-29 overall record. Prior to Coach Reed's arrival in 2018, the Lady Tigers had posted a 27-29 record overall, 16-21 in the SWAC, and 16-11 home record in two seasons. The Lady Tigers current roster includes six Dandy Dozens from the state of Mississippi, the most by any University in the state, as well as the top two players in the SWAC in Ameshya Williams and Dayzsha Rogan. Coach Reed has proven to be a relentless recruiter on the recruiting trail, pulling in the first ever four star and ESPN Top 100 prospect to the Lady Tigers and in FCS history with the signing of No. 70 overall prospect Se'Quoia Allmond back in November. 


A DEEP DIVE INTO THE BAYLOR LADY BEARS - SCOUTING REPORT
BAYLOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
    Sunday's matchup with Jackson State will mark the 19^th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Baylor women's basketball program, all coming under the watch of 21^st-year head coach Kim Mulkey. The only season Mulkey's Lady Bears have missed the NCAA Tournament came in 2003. Baylor is 17-1 all-time in the first round with its only loss coming in Mulkey's first season in 2001. Since then, the Lady Bears have earned 13 trips (11-straight) to the Sweet 16, nine trips to the Elite 8, four Final Four appearances and three NCAA Championships. Baylor's NCAA titles in 2005, 2012, and 2019 made the program one of three to have at least three championships, joining UConn and Tennessee. Baylor carries a 50-15 (.769) all-time record in the NCAA Tournament, which ranks as the third-best winning percentage in NCAA history. The Lady Bears' 50 wins are eighth all-time and 17-straight NCAA appearances is the fifth-longest active streak in women's basketball.
 
LADY BEARS VS. JACKSON STATE
     Baylor and Jackson State will meet for the second time Sunday with the Lady Bears taking the only meeting Dec. 4, 2004, 73-56, in Greenville, N.C.
 
BAYLOR'S NATIONALLY TELEVISED MATCHUP ON ABC MAKES HISTORY
     While the Baylor Lady Bears are no stranger to television (334-66 in the Mulkey era), Sunday marks the first time in program history that Baylor has played on one of the four major television networks. Baylor and Jackson State will air at 3 p.m. on ABC with Beth Mowins and former UConn standout Renee Montgomery on the call.
 
LADY BEARS FINALIZE ANOTHER SWEEP OF BIG 12 TITLES
     Baylor's 23 combined conference championships are tied with Stanford for the most in the Power 5 since the 2004-05 season. The Lady Bears' 17-1 record in Big 12 play allowed Baylor to cruise to its 11^th-straight regular-season title and 12^th overall. Baylor's 76-50 win over West Virginia Sunday solidified the Lady Bears' 11^th Big 12 Tournament Championship. The Lady Bears enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, the 10^th-straight postseason as a No. 2 seed or higher.
 
LADY BEARS IN NATION'S LEAD FOR FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
     For four-straight years and five since the 2010-11 season, the Baylor Lady Bears have been the NCAA Statistical Champion in Defensive Field Goal Percentage. It took until Feb. 14, but Baylor leads the category again through 27 games at a .318 clip. The Lady Bears also lead the nation in rebound margin (19.1) and Assists (563).
 
BAYLOR TAKES HOME SEVERAL ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS TO COMPLIMENT 11TH-STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
     NaLyssa Smith was the ninth Lady Bear in Baylor history to pick up Big 12 Player of the Year honors, and she was a unanimous selection to the All-Big 12 First Team, the league announced Wednesday. DiJonai Carrington was named Big 12 Sixth Person of the Year and continued the trend of graduate transfers at Baylor winning the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. She joined Chloe Jackson (2019) and Te'a Cooper (2020) to become the third-straight winner for Baylor, and Carrington was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
     DiDi Richards and Moon Ursin both landed spots on each the All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team while Queen Egbo rounded out the Lady Bears' selections on the honorable mention team.
 
AP POLL RESEARCH SHOWS MULKEY AS ACTIVE LEADER IN TOTAL TOP 25 APPEARANCES AS PLAYER, ASSISTANT AND HEAD COACH
     Longtime women's hoops guru Mel Greenberg put together a list of coaches and players' appearances in the AP Top 25 poll over the years and found that Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey is the NCAA's active leader in appearances at 668 from her time as a player and assistant at Louisiana Tech and her 21-year tenure as head coach at Baylor. She trails only Holly Warlick (693) for most all-time appearances; Warlick played, assisted Pat Summitt and was head coach at Tennessee from 2012-2019.
 
COVID-19'S EFFECT ON THE LADY BEARS
     Baylor lost four games scheduled for the Preseason WNIT in Waco in November, along with a Thanksgiving week game vs. Oregon in Las Vegas. Baylor lost its top-10 matchup with UConn Jan. 7.
     Moon Ursin, lost her grandmother, Ruby Alexander, to the virus in April after a swift and brief battle with COVID. Kamaria McDaniel, a transfer from Penn State that is having to sit this season, lost her grandfather, Johnny Webster, Sr., in April as well. Kim Mulkey, Jordyn Oliver, DiJonai Carrington and Caitlin Bickle have all had to miss time due to COVID-19 protocols this season.
 
RICHARDS RETURNS TO FLOOR AFTER SPINAL INJURY, FEATURED ON ESPN'S SPORTSCENTER
     Oct. 24, Moon Ursin and DiDi Richards collided in mid-air during a practice scrimmage, leaving Ursin with a concussion and Richards with a Spinal Cord Injury Without Radiographic Abnormality (SCIOWRA). Ursin returned to practice after clearing concussion protocol in mid-November while Richards' rehab began immediately after she briefly lost feeling below her knees. Richards was first confined to a walker to assist her in walking, but by mid-November, she was completing individual drills and workouts with medical and strength & conditioning staff. Richards shocked doctors, team medical staff and coaches with the rate of her rehab. Thirty-eight days after the injury, she played 30 minutes off the bench at South Florida Dec. 1. She scored a bucket 13 seconds into her entry, and picked up where she left off last season by leading Baylor with seven assists. Dec. 6 in Fayetteville, Ark., she resumed her starting role, getting her first start at point guard and finished the contest with a game-high eight assists. She led the Big 12 in assists per game in 2019-20, ranked 13th in the nation and had the NCAA's sixth-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.9:1.
     Her return to the floor sparked interest from ESPN with Mechelle Voepel writing a feature on her recovery, and Scott Van Pelt led off his Tuesday edition of SportsCenter, covering Richards' return with the "Best Thing I Saw Today" segment.