Box Score LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) women's basketball team used tough interior play on both offense and defense to earn a 63-50 non-conference victory over the University of West Alabama (UWA) Tigers at Pruitt Hall on Saturday afternoon.
 
As a foreshadowing of things to come, the Badgers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on the Tigers (0-2) with driving layups in traffic by Jennifer Clark and Alishia DraytonLewis. UWA rallied to tie the game at 7-7 with five minutes to go in the 1^st quarter and then take an 11-7 lead off a jumper and two free throws with 1:20 on the clock. A hoop-and-the-harm 3-point play by the Tigers built a 16-10 advantage for the home standing Tigers as SHC responded with two successful free throws from Johnta Hughes to end the period with UWA leading 16-12.
 
Ariel Wilson of UWA opened the 2^nd quarter with a long jumper that the Badgers answered on the other end with a Brittney Davis layup. A made free throw by Hughes led to a miss on the second, but Angel Carthen followed with a heads-up put-back basket to claw the Badgers within 18-17. A Daja Walker jumper from the top of the key tied the game 21-21 at 4:30 and a layup by Carthen put the Badgers up 23-21 at the four-minute mark.
 
UWA was up at 27-26 halftime, but a 3-point bucket by Clark opened the 3^rd period as SHC regained a 29-27 lead. The Badgers maintained 31-30 advantage when Leah Washington completed a spinning layup two minutes later and successfully finished a 3-point play a minute later to expand the lead to 36-31. Clark would swipe a pass on the perimeter and take it the distance to put SHC up 42-33 with three minutes left in the quarter.
 
Wilson brought UWA back to within a 46-40 deficit at 1:11 in the 3^rd period with a 3-point play and SHC held a 47-44 heading into the final 10 minutes of play. Drayton-Lewis drained a jumper to open the 4^th quarter and Clark followed with a layup in the trees as the Badgers climbed out to a 53-44 cushion with seven minutes left in the contest. Drayton-Lewis then connected on a hook shot from just inside the free throw line to make it 55-44 and Jewel Hill sank a long 3-pointer as SHC took its biggest lead so far at 58-44 with just five minutes to go.
 
A rainbow 3-pointer from Fannasy Garrett-Hammett of UWA kept the Tigers in range at 59-48, but Clark responded with yet another layup to keep SHC ahead 61-48 at 1:53 as the Badgers used smart clock management and rebounding over the final minute to secure the victory.
 
Clark dropped 20 points in the baskets while Drayton-Lewis added 10 points and Camry Johnson hauled in eight rebounds. The Badgers suffered a manageable 13 turnovers to three steals by UWA and forced the Tigers into 19 turnovers with eight steals. SHC outscored the Tigers 16-6 in the 4^th quarter.
 
UWA won the rebounding battle in a slim 29-28 decision as Wilson scored 12 points and Chloe Culpepper had nine points with nine rebounds. The Badgers shot 43.6% (24-55) with a 41.7% (5-12) effort from beyond the arc while holding the Tigers to a 34.7% (17-49) shooting night and a 25% (3-12) showing from long distance.
 
Spring Hill (2-1) will next visit the University of West Florida (UWF) Lady Argos (2-0) on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. for a non-conference game in the UWF Field House.