With five seconds left on the clock, Southern University guard Aleighyah Fontenot hit a SportsCenter number 1 highlight-worthy three-point for a 65-64 upset victory over Jackson State, the defending SWAC champions.
Fontenot’s floater was so smooth it was the No. 1 highlight on SportsCenter’s Top Ten. “She (Aleighyah Fontenot) was one of the purest three-point shooters I have ever seen. She’s hit half-court shots before; so to me, it wasn’t a surprise. She’s a skilled player,” said head coach Carlos Funchess.
How it all went down
Coming into the tourney as the fourth seed, Southern had a four-point lead against the top-seeded Jackson State Lady Tigers within the first ten minutes of the game.
Southern maintained its lead going into the second quarter and by halftime the score was 33-31. Little did anyone know we were headed for a SportsCenter top ten moment.
Both teams battled back and forth during the second half keeping the score close in the third quarter. Amani Mcwain banked in a three-pointer that gave the Jags the 49-48 lead.
With the game tight coming down the stretch of the fourth quarter, Tyeniesha Metcalf slaps the ball with 5.4 seconds left and launches it to Fontenot. Fontenot takes a quick dribble down the court, finds the open lane then BANG hits the shot heard around SWAC as the buzzer hits all zeros.
The Lady Jags then stormed the court in celebration and the rest is history.
“I saw we had five seconds left and I knew I had to get down there to put a good shot,” said Fontenot. “I didn’t know what it was gonna be, whether a two or a three but I happened to be behind the line so I shot it.”
After knocking off Alabama State, the Jaguars will face off against the eighth-seed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the SWAC championship game on Saturday at Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.