PHOTOHUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville women's basketball team won a defensive battle on Thursday night, holding off visiting Valdosta State 49-47 at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. The Chargers improve to 10-6 (7-5 Gulf South Conference), while VSU slips to 9-8 (5-7 GSC).
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Josi Saunders scored 11 to lead the hosts in the victory, and sister and fellow senior
Dina Saunders scored 10 – including eight in the first half – to join her in double figures on the night.
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The first two quarters were evenly contested as VSU outscored UAH 13-11 in the opening period before the Chargers bested the visitors by a pair in the second with a 12-10 margin evening the score at 23-23 as the teams went into the locker room at the break. After VSU grabbed a 29-28 advantage at the midway point of the third, the Chargers would go on a 9-1 run over the next eight minutes straddling the third and fourth quarters allowing UAH to take its largest lead of the night to that point at 37-30 with 6:43 left in the contest, and the margin would grow to as much as eight with 2:28 remaining.
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Free throws down the stretch would then allow UAH to maintain a cushion through the waning moments en route to wrapping up the win.
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For the contest, UAH shot 38.1 percent while VSU was slightly better at 38.3 percent on the night. With
Josi Saunders recording nine rebounds, the Chargers won the battle on the glass by outrebounding the Blazers by a 33-28 margin.
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Aaliyah Cheatham was the lone player to score in double figures as she scored 10 while also dishing out a game-high seven assists.
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UAH will be back in action on Saturday when the team welcomes West Florida to the Rocket City on Saturday. Tip-off for the game that will be nationally televised on the American Sports Network is set for 1 p.m.
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