Southern used a late layup from Terrance Dixon Jr. to survive a furious push from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, edging the Golden Lions 84–81 on Thursday night in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament.
Fazl Oshodi set the tone with a hot shooting night as the Jaguars moved back to .500 and advanced to the semifinals, where they will face No. 2 seed Florida A&M on Friday.
Oshodi led Southern with 18 points, attacking early and often and providing the stability the Jaguars needed in a tense, back-and-forth tournament game.
He shot 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, stretching the defense and punishing every lapse on the perimeter.
His production helped Southern carry a 39–37 lead into halftime, with 11 of his points coming before the break as the Jaguars established a slight edge.
SOUTHERN IS HEADED TO THE SEMIS!! #SWACMBB | #BuildingChampionsForLife pic.twitter.com/NQVeFIAy8y
— Southwestern Athletic Conference (@theswac) March 13, 2026
Southern got production from everywhere
Southern continued to rely on balanced scoring to stay in front after halftime. Malek Abdelgowad, who was playing his first game in a month after recovering from injury, added 17 points.
Cam Amboree chipped in 14 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the floor and a blistering 4-for-5 from three-point range, and he fueled the second-half offense with a team-high 11 points after the break.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff refused to go away, leaning on an all-around performance from Quion Williams to stay within striking distance.
Williams finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals, impacting nearly every possession as the Golden Lions tried to erase Southern’s slim advantage. Jaquan Scott added 20 points and six rebounds, while Alex Mirhosseini contributed 15 points to round out a trio that kept UAPB’s offense humming deep into the second half.
UAPB had a shot at the end
The decisive sequence came in the closing minute, with Southern clinging to a narrow lead.
After the Golden Lions closed the gap and threatened to flip the result, Dixon Jr. sliced through the defense for a layup with 28 seconds remaining, effectively sealing the Jaguars’ victory by pushing the margin to two possessions.
From there, Southern did just enough defensively and at the rim to keep Arkansas-Pine Bluff from finding a tying shot.
Southern, now 16–16, turns immediately to a quick turnaround and a semifinal matchup against second-seeded Florida A&M, carrying the momentum of the program’s first postseason win since 2020. Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s season ends at 13–19
