ROME, Ga. - The University of West Alabama women's basketball team earned its first Gulf South Conference (GSC) victory of the 2023-24 season with an overtime win over Shorter University, 63-60, from the Winthrop-King Centre.

West Alabama now improves to 2-6 and 1-3 in league play, while Shorter drops to 1-8 and 0-5 in GSC play.

The teams traded blows in the early goings. Shorter overcame a 12-7 deficit by dropping the next seven points to take the 14-12 advantage with 1:42 left in the period. A couple of possessions later, after a missed layup, Shayla Golden cleaned up the glass with a second chance put back to even the score at 14 after one quarter.

Early in the second, after a layup that cut the UWA lead to two, 18-16, the Tigers went on a 14-2 run and had the lead swell to 14. The Tigers maintained the lead with a 32-20 halftime lead.

The Hawks responded with a 13-2 run to open the third quarter and made it a one-point game, 34-33, after Derrica McCall's free throw. On the next possession, the Tigers used another second chance opportunity by Maryanne Logsdon that saw UWA end the period on an 8-2 run and lead 42-35 after three quarters.

The quarter was capped off by Golden's steal and fastbreak layup.

Shorter, similar to its third quarter start, got out to a strong start in the fourth quarter. A 9-2 run by the Hawks made it an even score at 44 with 6:22 left.

West Alabama restored order with a three-point play by Logsdon and a second chance opportunity by Clark that started with a Logsdon theft.

The Hawks evened the contest up at 51 with 2:04 remaining with a jumper by Lindsey Hardin. However, Kamille Clark drove the paint to give the Tigers the 53-51 edge with 1:48 left in regulation.

Shorter took advantage of a couple of West Alabama miscues. After Ashley Barge missed both her free throw shots, the Hawks were the ones who grabbed the offensive board and Courtney Lumpkins drew the foul. She converted both free throws to even the score at 53 with 12 seconds left.

Following a UWA timeout to advance the ball, the Tigers were looking for the game-winner, but a turnover forced it back to Shorter with three seconds remaining. Fortunately for the Tigers, the jumper by the Hawks was off the mark, and the game was forced into overtime.

The Tigers picked up the ball to start the extra period, and Clark used an Aliyah Dade pass to start the scoring. Following a turnover on the Hawks' first possession, Clark found Golden's dime in the paint to go up by four, 57-53.

UWA never relinquished the lead from there, as a Kendall Lacoste triple made it a two-possession score, 63-57, with two minutes left. After that, the Tiger defense stood tall, allowing the Hawks to one field goal and three points for the remainder of the game.

The Tigers played their first game of the season that went to overtime In the Rusty Cram era, the Tigers are 3-5 in such games.  

Evening up the all-time series at 10-10, UWA earned its first win in Rome nearly four years from its last win, happening Dec. 15, 2019 by an 82-76 affair.

UWA controlled the glass with 36 total rebounds to SU's 23. Scoring a season-high 18 points via second chance, the Tigers posted 15 offensive boards.

Shayla Golden recorded her fourth double-digit rebounding performance of the season and her second double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. From the field, she contributed six of her 14 shots.

Kamille Clark added a career-best 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Notching five rebounds, four were on the offensive glass.

Maryanne Logsdon posted a season-best 11 points and nine rebounds.

West Alabama will next head up to Lee to wrap up the weekend road swing on Sunday afternoon.