GSC PLAY STARTING: The UAH women's basketball team will start Gulf South Conference action this week on the road, traveling to Montevallo on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. contest before venturing to Livingston to take on West Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Chargers own a 4-1 record heading into the week.
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WELCOME BACK: Montevallo has rejoined the GSC this season after a stint in the Peach Belt Conference, and the contest on Wednesday represents the first GSC game against the Falcons since the teams met in the 2008-09 season.
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LAST TIME OUT: The Chargers headed into the Thanksgiving break on a happy note after defeating Kentucky State 72-62 at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall last Wednesday. Four players scored in double figures in the victory including Chandler Elder who logged a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards in the game.
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DISCIPLINED PLAY: UAH is now allowing the opposition to reach the free throw line with much regularity this season, and the team ranks 17th in the country in fewest personal fouls per game. The mark of 14.4 per contest also makes the Chargers the most disciplined team in the conference. Additionally, UAH has made the most of its trips to the line and ranks 26th in Division II with its 79.8 percent success rate in free throw opportunities.
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MORE FREE STUFF: The Chargers also boast two of the best free throw shooters in the conference with Katie Speegle ranking second at 93.8 percent – a showing that is also good for 29th in the country – while Baylee Johnson is 11th in the conference at 79.3 percent.
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PROTECTING THE PERIMETER: UAH ranks fourth in the GSC in scoring defense by giving up just 58.6 points per game, and that number is aided by a defensive effort that has limited the opposition to shoot only 27.3 percent from beyond the arc which is the third-best mark in the conference.
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ABOUT MONTEVALLO: The Falcons start league play with a 2-4 mark, but both of those wins have come in Montevallo where the team is 2-1 so far on the young season. The team is led by D'Miyah Foster who is scoring 13.4 points per contest, while Kiya Sain leads UM on the glass with a rebounding mark of 5.5 per game.
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SERIES HISTORY: UAH is 33-28 all-time against the Falcons, and the most-recent meeting between the two teams came on Nov. 22, 2014, which the Chargers won 67-62.
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ABOUT WEST ALABAMA: UWA also enters the week at 2-4 and will begin GSC play on Thursday in Livingston against North Alabama. Tasza Garrett-Hammett – the reigning GSC Freshman of the Week – paces the team as she is scoring 17.3 points per game, and she is also the leading rebounder for the Tigers as she grabs 8.0 boards per contest.
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SERIES HISTORY: The Chargers are 28-33 in the series with West Alabama after the two teams traded road victories last year. In Livingston, UAH won 78-70 behind a 17-point, six-rebound performance by Speegle.
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