The Union Lady Bulldogs advanced to the Gulf South Tournament semifinals Tuesday night, playing host to the West Alabama Tigers in an emotional rematch.
The eighth seed Tigers struck first, but their 2-0 lead would be their only lead of the night as the first seed Lady Bulldogs outperformed UWA in almost every statistical category. The Tigers made a couple of runs that manifested from pure effort and will, but it was not enough as Union marched on to win by a final score of 77-60.
Coach Mark Campbell felt the team played well defensively until the fourth quarter and praised the performance of Jada Smith. The junior guard had one of her strongest performances of the season with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists nearing a triple-double.
Sophomore guard Avery Carpenter also had a solid performance playing for 39 minutes and starting in the place of an injured Kennedy Childers.
“Listen, Avery Carpenter’s been one of the most consistent people on our team the past month,” said Campbell when asked how Carpenter was able to handle stepping into the role.
Consistency is the key according to Campbell, who felt overall that the team needs more of it as they continue in the tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs will face Valdosta State in the semifinal game on a neutral court in Birmingham, Alabama at Samford University this Saturday.
***
The Union men’s team also played in the quarterfinals of the men’s Gulf South Tournament Wednesday night as the eighth seed, falling to the top seeded Valdosta State Blazers by a score of 92-76.
A 21-point performance from Payton Stovall and a 20-point performance from Terrandus Smith were not enough to keep Union in the game as the Bulldogs’ season came to a close.
“It was a tough game we played tonight, tough loss,” said Terrandus Smith. “I believe we played hard, but there are plenty of things we could’ve done better.”
Smith finished the season being named second team all-conference by the the GSC (Gulf South Conference), however it is not too important for Smith. Instead, Smith is focused on the team going forward as they begin preparing for next season, placing more importance on the fortunes of the team than his own accomplishments.
Despite finishing the season on a four game losing streak, the Bulldogs still managed to secure a positive record of 16-13.