MONTGOMERY, Ala. --  The Auburn University at Montgomery women's basketball team took down the No. 5 seed the University of West Florida 74-70 in the Gulf South Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday night in front of a packed crowd at the AUM Athletics Complex to advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 9 in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Grace O'Gara posted a season-high of 28 points in the victory. 

THE TIPOFF

Score: AUM 74, UWF 70
Records: AUM 20-9 (17-7 GSC) | UWF 16-13 (13-11, GSC)
Location: Montgomery, Ala. | AUM Athletics Complex
Series: UWF leads 13-5
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HIGHLIGHTS

• The two teams combined for 47 points in the first quarter with AUM taking a 25-22 lead after the first 10 minutes of action. West Florida took a 12-2 lead right out of the gate and AUM made four three-pointers to take the lead. 
• O'Gara made a three-pointer at the 8:49 mark in the second quarter to go in front 30-22 off a Jemeriah Moore assist. 
• West Florida trimmed the lead down to four points and Allasha Dudley found Navaeh Small for a layup as the first half ended to go up 45-39 at the break. 
• Dudley made back-to-back three-pointers to begin the second half to give AUM a 12 point lead at 51-39. 
• The Argos cut the lead down to three points at the midway point in the third quarter, but a 9-2 run by the Warhawks helped them own a 66-58 lead entering the final 10 minutes. 
• West Florida's Tyashia Bostick drained a three-pointer with two minutes remaining in the game to make it 71-70 and Dudley scored a jumper with 17 seconds remaining to give AUM a 73-70 lead. 
• West Florida had a pair of looks from three-point range in the final seconds, but a defensive rebound and a free-throw from Brianna Sanchez gave AUM the 74-70 victory. 

NOTABLES

• O'Gara went 5-for-9 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. 
• Tian Addison scored 13 points and connected twice from three-point land. She posted five rebounds. 
• Dudley scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. She also dished out five assists. 
• Small and Jamya Tyus combined for 17 points and seven rebounds. 
• The win marks AUM's first-ever win in the GSC Tournament and the third against West Florida this season. 
• AUM moves to 20-9 on the season, which marks the first 20-win season for the program since 2015-2016.
• The Warhawks turned the ball over just six times in the win and forced the Argos into 14 turnovers. AUM capitalized by scoring 23 points off UWF's turnovers. 

FROM THE SIDELINES

"What a win for us at home!" head coach Jon Plefka said. "The crowd was electric and thank you so much to everyone in attendance and watching it at home for their support tonight. It truly helped us get the W!"

NEXT UP

AUM travels to the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama to take on No. 1 seed Valdosta State University in the GSC Semifinals on Saturday, March 9 at noon. 
 

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