SOUTHAVEN, Mississippi – The University of Arkansas at Monticello women’s basketball team defeated the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the opening round of the 2008 Gulf South Conference Basketball Championship Tournament with a final score of 71-66.

The win marks the third win for the Blossoms in GSC tournament history. The last time the Blossoms won in the tournament also came against Alabama-Huntstville in the first round of the tournament in 2005.

Senior Gemma Gibson (Dodd City, Texas) led UAM with 19 points and would have possibly had more had she not been sidelined with an injury for the last five minutes of the game. Gibson also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

Junior Andrea Dubose (Hickory, Miss.) trailed closely with 17 points and also grabbed eight rebounds, while freshman Janette Thompson (Hot Springs, Ark.) scord 12 points and pulled down four rebounds.

Thompson capped off a 7-0 UAM run with around four minutes left in the game with a three-pointer to put the Blossoms up by nine, a lead big enough for the Blossoms to advance to the quarter-finals.

Prior to that 7-0 run, UAH came back from a 13 point UAM lead with eight minutes remaining, bringing the game to within two points with five minutes to go thanks to an 11-0 UAH run over those three minutes.

Dubose broke the century mark for the season in the game with five steals for a current season total of 102. Coming into the game, Dubose was the conference’s best steal producer and ninth in the nation with close to four steals per game.

With the win, UAM improves to 15-13 overall, advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament to face No. 7 West Georgia tomorrow (March 6) at 5:30 p.m. in the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Miss.