Women's Basketball upends No. 3 Tougaloo in HBCUAC Quarterfinals
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Four Wiley University women's basketball players scored in double figures as the No. 6 seed Lady Wildcats took the lead in the second quarter and didn't give it up, advancing to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) 2025 Hope Credit Union Basketball Championship Semifinals with a 73-54 quarterfinals victory over No. 3 seed Tougaloo College Friday at Birthright Alumni Hall.
The Lady Wildcats (14-13) reach the conference semifinals for the first time as a member of the HBCUAC and first since 2020. It's the first time they've beaten a higher seed since 2009. For the second straight game, freshman guard Kendall Campbell led the team with 16 points and four steals. Jessica Nerestant followed with 14 points and nine rebounds, finishing one short of her 12th double-double. Mya Jones contributed 12 points and eight rebounds. Kelechi Dike supplied support from the bench with 12 points and six rebounds. Celebria Peacock tallied eight points and eight assists. She blocked a shot in the fourth quarter that allowed Wiley to increase its lead.
Leading 6-4 with 6:58 in the first, the Lady Wildcats struggled offensively only hitting one field goal in the next four minutes. Tougaloo took advantage and went on a 13-2 run to take a nine-point lead. Campbell hit her first two 3-pointers to trim the margin to three after the first.
Peacock tied the game at 19 with a 3-pointer early in the second quarter. Nerestant gave Wiley its first lead since the beginning of the game with a free throw and a jumper. Tougaloo regained the lead but Nerestant made a layup and-one to put the Lady Wildcats ahead for good. Peacock hit a jumper on an offensive rebound to give Wiley a four-point halftime lead.
The Lady Wildcats pushed their lead to 11 with shots made by Jones, Campbell and Mary Leday. With 3:13 left in the game, Wiley made two turnovers, leading to two 3-pointers for Tougaloo which cut the lead to one. Dozier hit a three to increase the lead to four. An offensive putback by Nerestant and a 3-pointer by Campbell increased the lead to 50-41 entering the fourth.
Wiley took control early in the fourth quarter. Leday stole the ball and scored. A steal by Nerestant set up a layup for Campbell, increasing the lead to 15. They led by as many as 20.
The Lady Wildcats will face No. 2 seed Dillard University in the semifinals at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Bleu Devils edged No. 7 Rust College 59-57 later Friday afternoon. This will be the second time Wiley has met Dillard in postseason with the first being in the 2023 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference quarterfinals. The Lady Wildcats will look to avenge their two previous losses.
For more coverage on the Lady Wildcats visit https://wileyathletics.com/sports/wbkb/index
About Wiley University Athletics
Wiley University sponsors 12 varsity sports, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field and baseball. It competes in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) and the Continental Athletic Conference for men's and women's soccer.
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