Southern University Tops UC San Diego in NCAA First Four, Advances to Face UCLA

Southern secured a historic 68-56 victory, ending their NCAA Tournament winless streak and concluding UC San Diego's debut Division I season.

Southern University defeated UC San Diego 68-56 in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament First Four game on March 19, 2025, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
Soniyah Reed led Southern with 24 points, including 19 in the first half, propelling the Jaguars to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win after six previous losses.
UC San Diego’s Sumayah Sugapong scored 19 points in the Tritons' first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, which followed their transition from Division II.
The victory earned Southern a spot in the next round, where they will face UCLA, the tournament's No. 1 overall seed, on Friday.
Southern and UC San Diego both secured their NCAA berths as conference champions, with Southern winning the SWAC and UC San Diego taking the Big West title.