HUNTSVILLE | Picking up a signature win that should bolster the team's NCAA tournament hopes, The University of Alabama in Huntsville women's basketball team defeating No. 9 Lee by a 66-60 score at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall on Saturday afternoon. The Chargers improve to 18-10 (13-7 Gulf South Conference), while the Flames dip to 25-3 (17-3 GSC).
 
Turning Point
-After building up a seven-point halftime lead, the Chargers would outscore the visitors by a 15-8 margin in the third quarter to establish a significant 50-36 advantage that would prove too much for the Flames to overcome as UAH picked up the statement win.
 
Inside the Box Score
-The Chargers were led in the contest by Alexis Woods who went 6-for-7 from the floor on her way to scoring 17 points.
-On her Senior Day, Aryn Sanders nailed a pair of 3-pointers to score 15 while also grabbing a team-best six rebounds, and the rebounding performance was matched by fellow senior Katie Speegle who also led the team with four assists while adding eight points.
-Emiline Payne turned in a well-rounded showing of six points to go with five boards and three assists and a steal.
-For the contest, the Chargers shot 48.9 percent while using a terrific defensive effort to hold Lee to a 36.4 percent shooting mark while also forcing the Flames to commit 21 turnovers.
-Lee was also just 3-for-18 from 3-point land.
-The guests won the battle on the glass by a 36-27 margin, and Lee only remained in the game by establishing a 16-5 edge in second-chance points.
 
Inside the Flow
-The lead exchanged hands four times in the opening minutes before the Flames built up as much as a seven-point advantage in the opening period, but a strong push from the Chargers would narrow the gap to just 15-12 going into the second.
-Lee eventually grabbed a 19-14 lead by the 7:50 mark of the second quarter, but a quick 8-0 run that was punctuated by a Selena Pruitt 3-pointer and a Speegle layup that lifted the Chargers in front 22-19 under two minutes later.
-UAH would push the advantage all the way out to seven on three different occasions heading towards the end of the half with a Sanders triple on the last possession of the second providing the hosts with a 35-28 advantage.
-The Chargers scored the first five points of the third to go up by 12, and after outscoring the Flames 15-8 in the period, UAH would hold a significant 50-36 lead going into the fourth.
-The advantage would balloon to 16 less than two minutes into the final frame, but a 13-2 run for the Flames would pull the guests to within five at 56-51 with 3:24 left in the game.
-Lee would continue to whittle away at its deficit and pulled to within two with 15 seconds left, but a pair of Holly Harris free throws and a defensive rebound from Selena Pruitt on the ensuing possession would help the Chargers seal the victory.
 
Noteworthy
-Woods establishes a career-best with the 17 points, surpassing her previous high of 16.
-Sanders scores in double figures for the third time in the past four games.
-The 18 regular season wins are the most for the Chargers since the 2011-12 team had 21.
-This is UAH's first win against Lee since a Dec. 20, 2014, victory in Cleveland, Tennessee.
-The 60 points for Lee represent the fifth-fewest scored by the team this season, and the 36.4 percent shooting mark is tied for its fourth-worst showing of the year.
 
Next Time Out
-The Chargers will now host a quarterfinal game of the 2020 GSC Women's Basketball Championships as the No. 4 seed, welcoming in-state foe fifth-seeded Montevallo at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at The Stable. Full ticket information will be released on Sunday.