Staff. (St. Thomas. January 2025)
Maliah LaCour’s performance against the Lady Knights women’s basketball team from Southern University in New Orleans earlier this month was exceptional.
Her display of Caribbean sports prowess at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas was a sight to behold despite the team’s disappointing loss of 93-63.
Lacour, a senior guard with the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) women’s basketball team, showcased a demonstrative performance with her first 20-point outing. She also added five rebounds and two assists.

UVI (0-9, 0-8 HBCUAC) showed their mettle. LaCour and sophomore guard Ashukamay’ah Phillips led the charge, scoring the team’s first 12 points and giving the Lady Buccaneers a 12-6 lead.
Despite a strong comeback from SUNO, the two teams were tied at 20-20 at the end of the first period.
The Lady Buccaneers’ resilience was evident, but a slow second quarter allowed the Lady Knights to take control, leading UVI to halftime with a 41-30 deficit.
In the second half, UVI struggled to slow down SUNO’s offense, and the Lady Knights opened their lead to cruise to victory, giving the Lady Buccaneers the loss in their first regular-season home game of the year.
Head coach Stephanie Cooper’s was optimistic about the team’s progress: “We played well in the first half, but we have to limit turnovers to compete in the second half. The HBCUAC is a challenging conference, but we give our best effort for 40 minutes every time we take the floor.”
The HBCUAC is a challenging conference, but we give our best effort for 40 minutes every time we take the floor.” Stephanie Cooper, Head coach
Cooper’s emphasized the team’s commitment to growth and objective to gain respect from their opponents.
Phillips made a significant contribution with 19 points, while senior guard Jordan Carter earned recognition with nine rebounds, two steals, and a block and Phillips impressively scored 19 points.