LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama women's basketball team was defeated by Auburn University at Montgomery in a Gulf South Conference (GSC) game on Thursday evening, 72-56, from Pruitt Hall.
AUM improves to 4-3 and 2-1 on the young season, while West Alabama falls to 1-5 and 0-2 in GSC play.
"The last two games are about making shots. We made the adjustments in the second half, but we just could not stop them on defense. That is something we must improve from a defensive standpoint," said assistant coach
Jeff Lovell.
After a close battle in the first 10 minutes, it was AUM who had the slight edge, 16-13. However, in the second quarter, the Warhawks started going on a run. After
Shayla Golden made it a one-point game with a field goal, the visitors went on an 11-0 run before West Alabama was forced to burn a timeout with 7:19 left in the stanza.
In the period, the Warhawks knocked down 10 of their 14 shots and outscored the Tigers 27-16. Thanks to five offensive boards, UWA saw seven of its 16 points off second chance opportunities.
The Tigers came out scoring in the second half. What was a 43-29 halftime deficit became 45-39 thanks to a 10-0 run. However, the Warhawks ended the quarter on a 9-4 run to push the lead back to double digits, 54-43, after three periods.
AUM maintained its lead in the fourth quarter thanks to a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Shayla Golden bounced back from a rough night on Monday in the points column, posting a UWA and game-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She also added nine rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.
Julia Rodriguez also contributed 10 points, while
Maryanne Logsdon dished out six assists.
AUM only played six players on Thursday, and five were in double-figures, led by Danielle Luckey, who played all 40 minutes on the floor and posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards. Kamya Hollingshed also drained five 3-pointers for 15 points.
UWA returns to action on Sunday to begin a three-game road swing at Alabama Huntsville.
