Box Score HUNTSVILLE |
Jasmine Hammon scored her 2,000th career point,
Jordan Smith poured in 18 on the night, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville women's basketball team defeated visiting Shorter 73-58 on Thursday night at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. UAH improves to 13-8 (8-7 Gulf South Conference) with the victory, while the Lady Hawks slip to 5-16 (3-12 GSC).
Hammon becomes the first player in program history to break the 2,000-point plateau, and she is only the seventh all-time to perform the feat in the GSC. The senior from Muscle Shoals, Ala., has been an incredibly consistent player in her four seasons, registering double figures in 104 of her 110 games, and she is in the middle of her best season yet with a scoring average 19.8 – more than a point off of her high of 18.7 from her freshman year.
Breaching the mark with her final bucket of the game, Hammon displayed her defensive talent as she picked the pocket of Shorter's Tamarr Williams at the top of key and then traveled the remaining length of the court for an easy layup, sparking a rousing ovation from those in attendance including a large contingent of family.
The Lady Chargers led throughout the majority of the contest, holding a 41-31 lead at the half and building up as much as a 25-point advantage in the second half. Smith hit three 3-pointers to pace the Lady Chargers who had nine players show up on the stat sheet with points, and Hammon ended the night with 16 on a 6-of-13 showing from the floor.
Kendra Jones scored nine in the contest, and since scoring 10 points against North Alabama on Jan. 25, she has averaged more than nine points per contest during a stretch in which head coach Roy Heintz has been looking for a complimentary scorer to the duo of Hammon and Smith.
The visitors held a 37.3 percent to 35.2 percent advantage in shooting, but UAH converted 24 Shorter turnovers into 29 points and recorded 19 second chance points on 19 rebounds as the Lady Chargers outrebounded the Lady Hawks overall on the night by a 46-39 margin.
Hammon paced UAH on the glass as she collected eight rebounds, while
Halle Jarnagin grabbed seven.
UAH will return to action on Sunday at West Georgia. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. CST.
