No. 3 Seed UAH (15-11) vs. No. 6 Seed West Georgia (9-17)
March 7, 2014 -- 2:45 p.m. -- Pete Hanna Center -- Homewood, Ala.
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About the Chargers
•Returning to Samford as the defending champions, UAH enters the 2014 Gulf South Conference Women's Basketball Championships as this year's No. 3 seed and will open the event against sixth-seeded West Georgia.
•The Lady Chargers have reached two consecutive GSC Tournament championship games -- including last year's 82-59 victory over West Alabama to capture the program's first-ever GSC title.
•Particularly strong last year near her hometown of Hoover was Jordan Smith who was named the GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 21 points per contest in UAH's run to the championship.
•Friday's meeting with West Georgia will mark the second time in three years that UAH will open the postseason with the Wolves. In 2012 in Niceville, Fla., the Lady Chargers won 59-57 in dramatic fashion as Natalie Kelley made a put-back fall at the buzzer.
•UAH closed out the regular season last Saturday with an 87-84 setback to North Alabama. The team's trio of seniors were strong in the game as Smith led UAH with 22 points, while Kendra Jones added 20 and Jasmine Hammon scored 17.
•Smith became the second Lady Charger ever -- and this season -- to breach the 2,000-point plateau in the loss, joining teammate Jasmine Hammon to become the eighth player in GSC history to score 2,000 points.
•The accomplishment marks the first time in league history that a team has two 2,000-point scorers on the same team. Delta State's Veronica Walker played from 2008-12 while LaTanya Patty stared for the Lady Statesmen in 1990-93.
•The duo of Smith and Hammon continue to pace the league in scoring with 22.8 and 19.4 points per game, respectively. Breanna Ridgell of Christian Brothers is in third with 16.6 points per contest.
•Should UAH end the year with its current scoring average of 86.8 points per game, the squad would go down as the third-most prolific in scoring in GSC history. Jacksonville State averaged 92.6 points per game in 1990-91 while Delta State scored 89.2 in 1985-86.
About the Opponent
•West Georgia is going into the first round of the tournament with an overall record of 9-17 and finished the regular season with a GSC record of 7-13. The squad finished the season dropping three of its last five contests -- including a home loss to UAH.
•The Wolves are led by Marion Lemonnier and Seandra Lee as both averaged in double figures in scoring while Ashley Prather led the team in rebounds (6.8) and Shakiyla McLin averaged a team-best three assists per game.
Series History
•UAH narrowed the gap in the all-time series with West Georgia this season, taking both meetings to move the record to 26-20 in favor of UWG.
•In Huntsville, the Lady Chargers rolled to an 82-42 victory as Juanice Newton recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead UAH in the winning effort, and the team also was victorious in Carrollton, winning 75-63 with all five starters scoring in double figures led by Newton's 16 points.
