From Samford to South Carolina: How Southern Shut Down a Nation-Leading Shooter — and Why Demonnie Lagway Is Already Locked In on Tessa Johnson
COLUMBIA, S.C. — One day after neutralizing the nation’s most dangerous three-point shooter, Southern University’s Lady Jaguars aren’t celebrating. They’re already scouting the next one.
A Defensive Clinic Against Samford
Thursday night’s First Four win over Samford was more than a bracket result — it was a statement. Southern held Samford’s Briana Rivera, who leads the entire nation in three-pointers made, to a performance well below her season standard in a 65-53 victory that showcased the Lady Jaguars’ defensive identity at its sharpest.
Southern’s guards were relentless, with Demonnie Lagway contributing 5 points in a performance that demonstrated her ability to impact the game in multiple ways. The Lady Jaguars contested every look, crowded Rivera off her spots, and executed a defensive scheme designed specifically to take away what she does best. The result was a 12-point Southern victory that earned the Lady Jaguars a first-round date with the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Next Problem: Tessa Johnson
Rivera was the shooting threat yesterday. Saturday, the threat has a different name — and a different résumé.
Tessa Johnson is averaging 12.9 points per game for South Carolina this season and has established herself as one of the most dangerous spot-up shooters in the country. Known affectionately as “Tournament Tessa,” she shot 50 percent from three through two SEC Tournament games — a player who gets better when the lights get brighter. In six career games against Texas alone, she has shot 57 percent from three-point range — numbers that underscore how lethal she becomes in high-stakes environments.
For Southern, stopping her is not optional.
Lagway’s Vow
Demonnie Lagway isn’t shying away from the assignment. The guard who helped contain Samford’s perimeter attack on Thursday spoke with the directness of a player who has been here before and knows exactly what the moment demands.
“Everyone’s gotta go out there and guard Tessa,” Lagway said.
The message is clear — and the approach mirrors exactly what Southern deployed against Rivera. No single defender can carry the entire burden. The Lady Jaguars will throw a collective effort at Johnson, making her work for every catch, every step into a shot, and every open look she tries to find.
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The blueprint already exists. They used it Thursday night against the nation’s leading three-point shooter. Tessa Johnson is averaging 12.9 points per game for a South Carolina team that has four other scorers averaging double figures — meaning Southern cannot collapse entirely on one threat without opening the floor for Joyce Edwards, Ta’Niya Latson, Madina Okot, and Raven Johnson.
The Bigger Picture
Southern arrives at Colonial Life Arena Saturday with something money can’t buy — momentum, confidence, and the proof that their defensive system works against elite perimeter talent. Whether it works against South Carolina’s entire offensive arsenal is a different question entirely.
But Demonnie Lagway and the Lady Jaguars aren’t intimidated. They guarded the nation’s best shooter yesterday.
Tomorrow, everyone guards Tessa.
