Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For the second straight season West Alabama will face Alabama-Huntsville in the finals of the Gulf South Conference women's basketball tournament. The Tigers guaranteed that with a 69-52 victory over North Alabama Saturday at the Pete Hanna Center.
And for the second straight season UWA took a long and difficult road to the finals. What the Tigers hope for is the same result. UWA is the defending tournament champion, defeating the Lady Chargers last year in Niceville, Fla.
UWA marched to the tournament finals from the No. 6 seed this year after getting there from the fourth spot a year ago.
Sunday's championship game will tip off at 1:30 p.m. The game will be shown live by all GSC-TV affiliates with the exception of CSS and CoxSportsTV, which will only carry the men's title game live. CSS will air the women's game on Monday, March 11 at 6 pm central. CoxSportsTV will show the women's game on March 11 at 7 pm and again on March 12 at 8 p.m.
“I would rather be experienced than good at this time of the year,” UWA head coach Craig Roden said. “More experienced players tend not to panic when you get to the 'one and done' part of the schedule.”
With seven seniors, West Alabama never trailed in the victory over UNA, playing a tenacious defense that forced 19 Lion turnovers and recorded 10 steals. UWA converted UNA's turnovers into 18 points, just one more than the margin of victory, while limiting UNA to 41 percent shooting, just 38 percent in the second half.
“We guarded them as well as we have guarded anybody all year. We battled in the paint and we battled on the perimeter,” Roden said. “Our kids kept a very good UNA basketball team out of rhythm.”
West Alabama's two leading scorers filled their roles, with
Nikkia Jordan and
Brittany Weathers scoring 17 points each. The difference for UWA came from
Tiarra Pritchett who averages 1.7 points and scored nine, as well as
Lanita Futrell who averages 2.4 and chipped in eight.
Tamya Thompson collected eight rebounds for the Tigers.
Nichelle Fillmore was the only UNA player to score in double figures, finishing with 19 points.
