Texas Southern leading scorer Aylasia Fantroy (12) came up big for the Lady Tigers in the second half of their WNIT win over St. Mary’s on Thursday night at H&PE Arena. Credit: Defender photographer Jimmie Aggison.

The endgame for the Texas Southern women’s basketball team was never about the WNIT, but it was the Lady Tigers’ landing spot this postseason.

And they seized the moment and made history in the process, defeating St. Mary’s College 54-50 Thursday night in the opening round of the WNIT at H&PE. The Tigers, back in the postseason since 2018, notched their first win in the WNIT and their first postseason win since 1981.

TSU moves on to face Louisiana Tech on the road Monday in the second round.

“It feels good,” said TSU sophomore guard Aylasia Fantroy, who led the team with 16 points. “Obviously we lost in the SWAC, but to be able to come into the WNIT and show like on a different level that we are still able to stick with teams, it feels good.”

The win was monumental for a program that has been mostly inconsistent over the years. It is also critical in the building process for third-year coach Vernette Skeete, who brought in some key newcomers this year like Treasure Thompson and Fantroy to move the program in the right direction.

Of course, the Tigers were hoping to be heading to the NCAA Tournament this year after starting the SWAC season with 11 straight victories. But they slipped late in the season and were knocked out of the SWAC Tournament, which was their only realistic chance of going to the NCAA Tournament.

But playing in the WNIT and experiencing winning could prove more beneficial for the future of the program and for the memories of the players.

“It means a lot,” Skeete said. “We’re trying our best to carve something historically so that these kids can have something. The majority of women who finish playing basketball, they have a job.

“We want to give something so that when they walk back in with their family and friends and say, `Hey, that’s me.’ Something that says it’s worth it. We hope that we can carve places out after that and build momentum to like if I push, I can do anything.”

That certainly appeared to be the case after the Tigers recovered from a horrendous second quarter in which they scored just seven points and trailed 21-18 at halftime. But a decision to go smaller and quicker sparked a tremendous third-quarter run that saw them take a commanding 40-30 lead after holding the Gaels to just seven points in the quarter.

Point guard Anela Thomas (24) gave the Lady Tigers the steadiness that they needed in the second half. Credit: Defender photographer Jimmie Aggison.

Fantroy, who had been held scoreless in the first half, erupted with some big 3-pointers and Nya Harmon came off the bench to knock down some momentum-shifting shots. Harmon was named the Impact Player by her teammates after her contribution.

But Fantroy was the key even as St. Mary’s made things interesting with big shots in the fourth quarter.

“My shots just weren’t falling in the first half. It just took a little encouraging from my teammates,” Fantroy said. “They kept telling me to just keep doing what I’m doing and in the second half things were falling and I was working.”

Now the attention turns to a much tougher opponent in La. Tech. But Skeete believes her team is ready.

“Going into games, my biggest concern is getting my team going,” she said. “If they are ready and they are charged up, I will take this team anywhere with whoever.”

I've been with The Defender since August 2019. I'm a long-time sportswriter who has covered everything from college sports to the Texans and Rockets during my 16 years of living in the Houston market....