Only two games into the quarterfinal round of the SIAC basketball tournament, we have already seen a major upset in the women’s bracket.
Entering as the fifth seed in the SIAC East, the Albany State Golden Rams took down the East’s top-seeded Edward Waters Tigers in an 80-49 blowout.
Albany State entered the postseason on a two-game losing streak, having scraped by Kentucky State in the opening round 58-56 to make it into the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Edward Waters was the hottest team in the conference, sporting an SIAC-best 23-4 overall record, riding a 14-game win streak.
During the regular season, the Tigers beat the Golden Rams in each of their respective matchups by a total of 69 points, including an 89-49 win in their most recent meeting on February 7.
Today proved to be one of those games for Edward Waters, having its worst shooting performance of the season with just 20% from the field, Albany State had one of its best.
They shot 48% from the field (highest against a conference opponent), leading for the entire game, including holding a double-digit advantage for nearly 90% of the contest.
Albany State forward Na’Haviya Paxton led the team with a season-high 28 points on 63% shooting. She also added 11 rebounds and five steals.
Sariah Johnson put up a double-double of her own, contributing 16 points on 50% shooting and 12 rebounds. Paris Triplett provided a defensive boost for ASU, grabbing 15 rebounds with three blocks and three steals.
Albany State will now advance to the semifinal round, marking their deepest run in the SIAC tournament since 2022.
They will await the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between Lane and Benedict, seeking their first SIAC championship game appearance since 2017.
