The Lady Bulldogs, who won only three conference games and entered the tournament as the No. 9 seed, had upset Alcorn State in the first round on Tuesday. A&M finishes the season at 6-24.

Taylor Sippial led Alabama A&M with 20 points while Jasmine Sanders added 16 in her final game for A&M. Ebony Johnson added 15 points. Brittney Strickland, the hero in the win over Alcorn, was held to eight points and fouled out.

Southern had five scorers in double figures, led by Adrian Sanders' 18.

After a 37-37 halftime tie, Alabama A&M was still battling toe-to-toe in the second half and led was down only 46-45 after a Sippial 3-pointer at 16:26. Then Southern went on a 13-4 run over the next seven minutes. A&M was within 10, at 70-60, at the four-minute mark but a couple of key turnovers and some devastating Southern baskets kept A&M at bay.

The Alabama A&M men make their tournament debut on Thursday at 8 p.m., facing Arkansas-Pine Bluff.