Déjà Vu: Rust To Face Philander Smith In GCAC Title Game For Second Straight Season

JACKSON, Miss. – The Rust College women's basketball program will meet a familiar foe in the 2023 GCAC Championship Game as it will be a rematch between the top-two seeds in the conference once again after the Lady Bearcats dispatched #5 Dillard in the Semifinals, 58-45.

The two types of Cats (Bearcats and Panthers) have been regulars at the top of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference since Rust came aboard, splitting the last two years' worth of regular season matchups with the head-to-head tiebreaker being the 70-48 blowout in last season's title game which saw RC claim its first tournament crown.

Philander has been one of the few speedbumps during Coach Jackson's dynastic reign these past three seasons as the Blue and White have lost only three contests over its past 27 GCAC battles, including the conference tournament, with two of those coming at the paws of PSC (the other was Fisk this season).

Rust clamped down on the Lady Bleu Devils on Saturday evening, holding Dillard to its second-lowest point total of the campaign and fewest in a conference contest, allowing a paltry 45 on the board.

The primary reason for RC's defensive dominance came from defending the perimeter, limiting DU to just 1-of-11 (9.1%) from downtown on top of snagging 14 steals and causing 23 turnovers overall.

Lyric Turner was the modest team scoring leader, dropping 11 points on 4-of-8 (50%) shooting.

Katie Blackmon logged a Bearcat-best six boards and three steals to go along with eight points while Shuntorri Rodgers shared the steals crown.

Rust vs. Philander Smith part two will take place at 2 p.m. on HBCU League Pass Plus in the Mississippi capital city on the campus of Tougaloo College.

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