NICEVILLE, Fla. – Nikkia Jordan's career-high 31 points lifted the University of West Alabama women's basketball team to its first-ever Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship, as the Tigers rolled past No.2 seed Alabama-Huntsville, 86-74, Sunday  at The Arena in Niceville, Fla.
 
For her efforts, Jordan was also named the 2012 Most Valuable Player of the Gulf South Conference Tournament. Joining Jordan on the all-tournament team were Tigers Danielle Cole and Brittany Weathers.
 
After knocking off the No.1 seed in less than 24 hours before Sunday's game, West Alabama was faced with the daunting task of having to go through No. 2 seed UAH in the championship contest. As the team has done all season long, the Tigers battled through adversity and led the entire second half on their way to the conference title.
 
“This team is filled with so much character,” said the victorious head coach Craig Roden. “After starting the season at 1-6 and all but written off, we just fought and fought on our way to the championship. I could not be more proud of a group of girls than I am with this team.”
 
Unlike Saturday's contest, West Alabama was faced with  adversity early on in Sunday's game with UAH playing a zone defense in the first half that stifled the UWA offense. The Tigers trailed for most of the opening period until a Cole three in the final minute of the half put the Tigers up 29-28 at the break.
 
After gaining the lead before heading to the locker room at intermission, West Alabama never looked back on its way to the championship. The Tigers staved off every UAH run in the final period to build an insurmountable lead in the final eight minutes of action.
 
Through the final four minutes of play, West Alabama finally took control with an 18-point lead that forced the Chargers into fouling with a large amount of time on the clock. The Tigers converted on free-throws down the stretch, knocking in 22-of-28 in the second half to claim the 86-74 win.
 
For the game, Synthea Reed played only 13 minutes with three quick fouls early in the final half. In her absence, Tiger Jamie Gunter stepped up and filled the void with six points and four rebounds in 30 minutes played.
 
Jordan proved to be the difference maker for West Alabama on the night, however, as she played 35 minutes and tallied a tournament and career-high 31 points. Fellow all-conference members Cole and Weathers combined for 27 points on the night to help pace the 2012 Gulf South Conference Champions.
 
With the win, West Alabama claims its first-ever GSC title in the team's second appearance all-time in the championship game. The Tigers also evened their record on the year to 14-14.
 
UWA also claims an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is slated for 9 p.m. tonight on NCAA.com. Fans can join the Tigers at the Student Union on campus to watch the seeding process.   

Fans can also follow the Tigers all season long on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UWAathletics) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/UWAAthletics). Additionally, fans may also sign up to receive SMS text alerts at www.uwaathletics.com.