LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Auburn University at Montgomery women's basketball team suffered its first loss in 2020 to Gulf South Conference foe West Alabama 60-51 on the road on Thursday night at Pruitt Hall.

NOTES
- The Warhawks fall to .500 on the year with a 6-6 record.   
- West Alabama improves to 7-3 on the year.
- Catlin Carter and Kendra Boone earned their first starts of the season.  
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
- Carter set a career-high 23 points in the effort against the Tigers.  
- Aaliyah Milord netted a team-high nine rebounds in the contest.      
- Carter, Jordan Brewster and Victoria Morales were all in double figures in scoring.    
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Warhawks took an early lead to open the new year after Boone won the opening tip. The Orange & Black executed on offense in their opening possession on a Morales 3-pointer. Makaylla Bullard, with the game tied at three, would take the rock to the hole and would drive home a layup to give the Warhawks a two-point lead. West Alabama knocked home a 3-pointer of their own right before the first media timeout to take a 6-5 lead heading into the first break. After three minutes of scoreless action, West Alabama would go on a quick 5-0 run to take a 11-5 lead. Morales, however, would come back down to hit her second 3-pointer of the quarter to cut the lead to three. The league's top defense stood strong in the late stages of the first and the Tigers took a 15-8 lead going into the second quarter.
- Boone contributed to the Warhawks' scoring efforts to start the second quarter as well as she would corral her missed layup and put it back into the hole to score the quarter's first two points. AUM continued to put up points as Carter knocked down two free throws to cut the lead to five. The Warhawks extended their 6-0 run to just before the media timeout, holding West Alabama scoreless through the first five and a half minutes of the second period. The Orange & Black would cut the lead down to three thanks to Carter's third and fourth free throws of the game to run the game to 19-16. With just over a minute remaining, her determination would show once again as two more shots from the charity stripe tied the game at 20. The junior continued her stellar play with a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Warhawks up by one heading into the break.
- Both sides traded buckets in the opening moments of the second half, as Morales knocked down the Orange & Black's only basket in three minutes, which resulted in an AUM timeout and a two-point lead for West Alabama. An 8-0 run for the Tigers continued after West Alabama went 1-2 from the free throw line to extend their lead to 30-25. The Warhawks had a chance to cut the lead down to five in the middle stages of the third quarter. However, Carter would find difficulty from the free throw line, missing five straight from the charity stripe. West Alabama took full advantage of the missed opportunities from AUM, as they would go on a 12-2 run to take a 34-27 lead. Brewster would get on the board for the first time from downtown to end the West Alabama run and cut the lead down to six. Carter continued her great performance by earning a basket and the foul to cut the Tigers lead to three with one minute remaining.
- Brewster came alive from three-point range to start the fourth quarter, knocking down two triples to cut the Tigers lead to two. However, the lead did not last long as West Alabama would convert a three-point play to regain a five-point lead. The Tigers would maintain a nine-point lead for most of the fourth quarter and held on to a 49-40 lead at the first media timeout. Seven points separated the two teams with three minutes to go, which forced a full-court press from AUM for the remainder of the game. After forcing a turnover, Brewster would hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to five. Free throws defined the end of the contest, but it was the Tigers who would come away with a 60-51 victory.  
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- AUM recorded a 29.1% shooting percentage from the field.
- The Warhawks were 7-32 from 3-point range.    
- West Alabama out-rebounded the Warhawks 49-42.   
- The Orange & Black were 12-20 from the charity stripe.

QUOTING THE COACH
"Well done by West Alabama but it was just another example of us not being mentally or physically tough enough to finish games."  
 
UP NEXT
AUM will continue its 2020 slate with a road Gulf South Conference matchup with the Montevallo Falcons on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m. The game will also feature the school's men's programs.

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