Aniya Gourdine and No. 16 Southern will battle Sumayah Sugapong and No. 16 UC San Diego in the First Four of the NCAA Women’s Tournament on Wednesday.

No. 16 seed Southern will take on No. 16 seed UC San Diego in a “First Four” matchup on Wednesday night at UCLA’s home court. The winner of this game will play in round one of the Women’s NCAA Tournament in Region 1 in Spokane, Washington against No. 1 seed UCLA. The 16-seeded Tritons finished their season with a 20-15 overall record, receiving an automatic bid after knocking out UC Davis in the championship of the Big West Conference.

How to Watch Southern vs. UC San Diego in Women’s College Basketball Today:

Game Date: Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025

Game Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN U

Live stream Southern vs UC San Diego on Fubo: Start your Free Trial Today!

They are one of the few teams between men’s and women’s college basketball to have both teams in the tournament. They opened their tournament run with a game against Cal Poly, before taking them down in the quarterfinal, followed by Hawai’i in the semifinals. UC San Diego is led by guard Sumayah Sugapong, who is averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

The Jaguars finished their season with a 20-14 overall record and a 15-3 record against teams in their conference. They also made the NCAA Tournament on an automatic bid after taking down Alcorn State by 20 points, 64-44, in the championship game of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They beat Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State prior to that game in the tournament.

Southern is led by a stellar pair of backcourt guards. Aniya Gourdine leads the team, averaging 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. She is the only player on the team currently averaging double figures. She is followed by guard Soniyah Reed, who is averaging 9.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

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