LIVINGSTON – West Alabama women’s basketball player Tazsa Garrett-Hammett has been named Gulf South Conference Player of the Week based on her performance against West Florida on December 31 and against Valdosta State on January 2.

Garrett-Hammett leads the Tigers offense, averaging 15.6 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.

The LaGrange, Georgia native saw a season-high game, leading the Tigers with 31 points, seven rebounds, and three steals in the 70-57 victory over West Florida on December 31.

The senior forward also scored eight points, brought down six boards, and dished out four assists against Valdosta State on January 2.

Garrett-Hammett and the rest of the Tigers will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 8. The Tigers battle Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

To stay connected with the UWA women’s basketball team, follow @UWAwbb on Instagram and @UWA_WBB on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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CLINTON, Miss. – The University of West Alabama Women’s basketball team got off to a second slow start in as many games, but once more the Tigers persevered and found a way to grind out a 60-54 victory over the Mississippi College Lady Choctaws Tuesday night in Gulf South Conference West Division action in A.E. Wood Coliseum.

Mississippi College (3-4) got out to a strong start and outscored UWA (5-3, 4-3 GSC) 15-9 in the opening quarter while limiting the Tigers to 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from the floor. However, the Tigers completely reversed the trend from that point going 56.4 percent (22-of-39) the rest of the way.

“MC played great defensively to start the game. They gave us some looks that we had to adjust too early, “said Head coach Rusty Cram. I thought our defense got us going. Really proud of the effort. We pushed the ball up the court better and got some mismatches inside as a result. This was a solid win on the road.”

West Alabama went on the finish the game 51 percent (26-of-51) from the floor and 50 percent (8-of-16) from the free throw line. The Tigers didn’t connect from beyond the arc going and missed five attempts

“They pressured us all night and took the threes away. Our Defense won it tonight,” said Cram.

The UWA defense limited the Lady Choctaws to just 32 percent (16-of-50) from the floor and 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from three. Free throws kept MC in the game as the team was 81.8 percent (18-of-22) from the line.

Bria Dent led all scorers with 17 points along with five rebounds and two steals. Naelyn Rios contributed 14 points and a team leading eight rebounds along with two assists while Tazsa Garrett-Hammett finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, a block, one steal and an assist. Jala Williams led the team with five assists will chipping in with eight points.

After outscoring MC, 14-11, in the second quarter to cut MC’s lead to 26-23 at the half. The Third quarter is where the Tigers really shined and where Dent did most of her damage. The junior from Birmingham, Alabama scored 10 of the team’s 18 points in the quarter to help give UWA.a 41-34 lead heading to the fourth.

The final quarter went back and forth with the Tigers hitting seven of 14 shots in the period coupled with five throws while the Lady Choctaws were 4-of-13 from the floor but 11-of-12 from the free throw line to win the quarter 20-19, however the Tigers did enough to earn the 60-54 win.

The Tigers must now focus on two more road games to end the week with a trip to Jackson, Tennessee in store to face Union University in GSC West Division action. The Jan. 29 contest is set for a 6 p.m. start while the Jan. 30 game is set to tipoff at 3 p.m. in Fred Delay Gymnasium. Links to live video and live stats will be available on uwaathletics.com.

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NEW ORLEANS –  The Sun Belt Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday – Alexus Dye, senior forward from Troy.

Dye recorded back-to-back double-doubles giving her eight on the season which is tied for the second most in the NCAA (three-way tie for first with 9). Dye is one of only three players to earn a double-double this weekend and the only one to do it twice. The other was Dye’s teammate Felmas Koranga. Dye’s 16 rebounds are the third most in a game this season by a Sun Belt player. The senior forward averaged 16.5 points per game and 14 rebounds per game. Dye added 2.5 assists per game and a steal per game.

Player of the Week 2020 – 21 Recap:
Week 1 – Pre Stanley, App State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy 
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 5 – A’Tyanna Gaulden, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Shondell Vickers, Georgia Southern
Week 7 – Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama
Week 8 – Alexus Dye, Troy

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BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Stillman College improved to 2-2 on the road Saturday with a 53-47 win at Blue Mountain College. With the win, Stillman improves to 2-4 in Southern States Athletic Conference West action.

De’Asia Marsh picked up where she left off Friday, coming up with a steal and basket in the first minute to give Stillman the first points of Saturday’s game. Stillman opened the game with a 6-0 run. Blue Mountain managed to tie the game at the end of the quarter, 12-12.

Blue Mountain took a brief lead with 4:30 left in the first half, but Marsh scored four points in the final 75 seconds to tie the game, 23-23 at halftime. Marsh finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting to lead Stillman for the second-straight night.

Zikira Williams, who scored 11 points, gave Stillman a 25-23 lead to open the third quarter and the Tigers maintained its lead the rest of the way. Stillman held Blue Mountain to 26.9% shooting in the second half and 29% in the game.

The Toppers’ closest margin in the second half was, 28-27, following a Kandice Ricks free throw. Zaria Jenkins helped stretch Stillman’s lead to seven points, 39-32, at the end of the third quarter. Stillman’s largest lead of the game, 41-32, came on a Devyn Lockhart basket to open the fourth quarter.

Jenkins was third in scoring for Stillman with seven points, while Brittany Washington and Imani Wimbish-Gay each scored six. Jenkins led the Tigers with six rebounds.

Ricks finished with 17 points and eight rebounds to lead BMC, followed by Jada Taylor’s eight points and seven by Mallory Russell.

Stillman (2-4, 2-3 SSAC West) is next scheduled to travel to New Orleans, Jan. 22-23, for a two-game set against No. 25 Loyola University.

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LIVINGSTON – Four Union players scored in double figures and the Lady Bulldogs shot 61 percent in the second half on the way to an 87-68 women’s Gulf South Conference basketball victory over West Alabama Friday at Pruitt Hall Gym.

Union improved to 5-2 with the win and has now defeated UWA, who dropped to 3-2, nine straight times. The Tigers and Lady Bulldogs finish the two-game series Saturday at Pruitt Hall. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.

“It was the turnovers that kicked our butt tonight,” UWA head coach Rusty Cram said. “That and they outscored us by 19 points in the third quarter and that was the final margin of victory.”

After taking a 40-39 lead into the half, West Alabama was outscored 27-8 in the third quarter, making just 2-of-12 shots from the floor. Conversely, Union was 9-for-13 in the third period (69 percent).

West Alabama turned the ball over 18 times compared to just eight miscues for Union. The Lady Bulldogs won the points off turnovers battle 23-1 and Union’s bench outscored the Tigers 25-14. The two teams combined for 64 points in the paint.

“We just shot ourselves in the foot in the third quarter and then got mentally down,” Cram said. “Union is a good basketball team that doesn’t make mistakes often. That’s why they play for championships every year.”

Jaelencia Williams led all scorers with 23 points for Union. Shanique Lucas chipped in 17 points, followed by Jordan Little with 12 and Leah Cauble with 11. Sadie Knee dished out a career-high 11 assists and Lucas collected four of Union’s 10 steals.

Bria Dent notched her second double-double of the season for UWA with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tazsa Garrett-Hammett added 18 points and Naelyn Rios had 11.

Union led for over 28 minutes in a game that was tied nine times and had eight lead changes. West Alabama won the rebounding battle, 37-23.

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BIRMINGHAM – The women’s basketball game scheduled between Alabama State and Alabama A&M initially slated to be played on Saturday, January 16 has been postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test and subsequent quarantining of student-athletes among the Alabama A&M program.

This action follows the guidelines and protocols set by the league and its COVID-19 Advisory Committee.

A make up date for the game has not been determined at this time.

With the women’s game being postponed, the men’s basketball game between Alabama State and Alabama A&M has been moved to a 3:00 pm tip-off at T.M. Elmore Gymnasium located on the campus of Alabama A&M University.

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MOBILE – Stillman College fell to 0-3 in Southern States Athletic Conference West Division play Tuesday with a 71-66 loss at the University of Mobile.

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NEW ORLEANS –  The Sun Belt Conference announced its Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday – Antoinette Lewis, senior from South Alabama.

Lewis averaged a double-double, shot 54 percent from the floor and recorded four blocks and two assists to lead the Jaguars to a pair of victories over Coastal Carolina. In the first game on Friday, the senior posted 17 points and a season-best 15 rebounds for a double-double, a team-high fourth of the season, in South Alabama’s 11-point win. On Saturday, Lewis shared game-high honors with 13 points leading the Jags with both eight boards and three blocks. Her assist in the final 30 seconds led to the game-winning basket. She preserved the victory by blocking the Chanticleers’ three-point attempt at the buzzer. With 30 points on the weekend, Lewis moved up to seventh place on the school’s all-time scoring list.

Player of the Week 2020 – 21 Recap:
Week 1 – Pre Stanley, App State
Week 2 – Mayra Caicedo, Little Rock
Week 3 – Tiyah Johnson, Troy 
Week 4 – Alexus Dye, Troy
Week 5 – A’Tyanna Gaulden, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Shondell Vickers, Georgia Southern
Week 7 – Antoinette Lewis, South Alabama

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LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The top defense in the Gulf South Conference came up big again Saturday, allowing West Alabama to sneak by Alabama Huntsville, 55-54, in women’s basketball at Pruitt Hall Gym.

Allowing just 54.3 points per game coming into Saturday’s game, West Alabama limited the Lady Chargers to just 29 percent shooting (17-for-57) on the way to splitting the weekend series with UAH. Bria Dent iced the winner cake for the Tigers by stealing the UAH inbounds pass with 3.7 seconds left to play to preserve the victory.

“The big thing is we didn’t quit and I really like that about this team,” UWA head coach Rusty Cram said. “I am really proud how we kept our poise at the end of the game.”

West Alabama improved to 3-1 and continues a six-game homestand Friday by hosting Union. UAH dropped to 3-3 and is host to Delta State Friday in the first of four straight games against the Lady Statesmen.

West Alabama got off to a slow start for the second consecutive day against the Lady Chargers, allowing UAH to convert 4-of-8 from behind the three-point line while recording six steals in the first quarter on the way to a 17-11 lead after 10 minutes.

For a second consecutive day against UAH the Tigers rallied in the second quarter to take a 29-27 lead at the half. UWA picked up the pace while holding the Lady Chargers scoreless for just over three minutes as time evaporated into halftime.

The Lady Chargers took a 43-28 lead after three quarters, thanks in part to forcing 11 Tiger turnovers in the period. UWA finished with 22 turnovers in a game that was tied nine times and had five lead changes.

“There were a lot of bright spots in this game, but we need to learn to enjoy prosperity,” Cram said. “Still, we are always pleased to get a “W”. We are definitely getting better every time we play.”

West Alabama hit 6-of-11 from the floor in the fourth quarter while limiting the Lady Chargers to just 3-of-12 , including a 0-for-9 stretch at one point.

Tazsa Garrett-Hammett was the only UWA player to score in double figures, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Garrett-Hammett also had four assists and three steals. Dent led all rebounders with 16.

“Tazsa is focused on becoming that player we all know she can be,” Cram said. “She has goals that she wants to accomplish and she is playing like it.”

Alexis Woods notched a double-double for UAH, scoring 19 points and grabbing 15 boards. Selena Pruitt chipped I 13 points and Sloan Mann had 11.

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