UWA women get win over Valdosta
Published 8:39 am Monday, February 18, 2013
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Brittany Weathers and Nikkia Jordan combined to score 51 points to lead the West Alabama women’s basketball team to a 73-66 women’s Gulf South Conference basketball victory over Valdosta State Saturday at The Complex.
Weathers scored 26 and Jordan 25 as UWA snapped a three-game losing skid and stopped a winning streak for the Lady Blazers at four. UWA improved to 10-12 overall and 5-9 in GSC play with the season sweep of the Lady Blazers. VSU dipped to 14-9 and 7-8.
“We made plays tonight. We were patient and we executed,” UWA head coach Craig Roden said. “Our defensive patience and discipline was good. We were where we were supposed to be and played our assignments.”
Valdosta State jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first half, but UWA put together a 17-7 run and went into halftime tied at 28. The game was tied 10 times and the lead changed hands 12 times.
“It’s very seldom that you win or lose a game in the fist half,” Roden said. “You just have to handle adversity and chip away. That’s what we did.”
Weathers converted 8-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free throw line, with all of her free throw attempts coming in the final 52.9 seconds of the game. Jordan made 8-of-18 from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, including making four straight in the last 1:07.
Jamie Gunter scored 10 to round out double-figure scorers for West Alabama. Synthea Reed collected eight rebounds.
Kourtnee Williams scored 20 points to pace Valdosta State. Kamyia Smith added 14 for the Lady Blazers and Brittney Nelson chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
West Alabama returns to Pruitt Hall Thursday, hosting Delta State. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.