Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – West Alabama rallied behind key three-point shooting from
Anna Dill and
Brittany Weathers to take a 59-54 women's college basketball victory over Miles Tuesday at the Knox-Windham Gym on the Miles College campus.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tigers and improved UWA to 4-2. Miles lost in its home opener and dropped to 2-2, with both losses coming to UWA.
“This was a good win in a tough environment, in a loud, hot and crowded gym,” UWA head coach Craig Roden said. “It wasn't pretty, but it was good. We did the things we needed to do to win the basketball game.”
Neither team shot the basketball well in the first half, with UWA making just 8-of-35 (22%) and Miles 8-of-26 (30%). UWA shooting didn't improve much in the second half, with the Tigers finishing the game making just 19-of-64 field goal attempts (29%).
Miles rallied to make 50 percent from the floor in the second half, but UWA, despite playing with just eight players dressed out due to injuries, hung on for the win by outrebounding the Golden Bears 48-37 and forcing 19 turnovers.
“We were playing short-handed and we didn't shoot it well, but this is a tough gym to shoot it in,” Roden said. “Just a dang good win. That's about all you can say about it.”
Dill made a trio of three-pointers early in the second half and finished with 17 points to lead Tiger scoring. Weathers scored 13 and collected 15 rebounds while weathering a 4-of-20 shooting night from the floor. The current Gulf South Conference player of the week missed her first 14 field goal attempts.
Jamie Gunter finished with 12 points for UWA.
Miles forward Courtney English scored 21 to lead all scorers. She was the only Golden Bear in double digits. Ra'Shawne Cox grabbed 10 rebounds for Miles, but made just 1-of-11 field goal attempts.
West Alabama begins GSC play Thursday at Shorter University. Tipoff is 5 p.m. central time. Miles travels to Atlanta to face Concordia-Selma in the first round of the Clark-Atlanta Tournament on Friday.
