SOUTHAVEN, Miss. – For the second consecutive season, the University of Arkansas at Monticello women’s basketball team has reached the Gulf South Conference Championship Tournament Semi-Finals thanks to an 84-69 win over North Alabama in the tournament quarter-finals.

 

“For the first time this season, our defensive play was about as good as I want it to be,” said head coach Chris Ratcliff. “(North Alabama) struggled offensively for the majority of the game, with the exception of a few minutes in the second half when I thought we played very lackadaisical on both sides.”

 

UAM (19-7) grew its lead to as much as 20 points in the game with just under two minutes left in regulation, thanks in part to a key three-pointer by senior Andrea Dubose at the 2:06 mark, followed immediately with a steal by senior Addie Lees, who laid it off the glass un-contested to give the team the 20-point lead.

 

Earlier in the second half, the Blossoms used an impressive showing by junior Monica Perkins-Miller to change the momentum. Perkins-Miller pulled down an offensive rebound from Dubose’s missed three-pointer at the 4:58 mark. Perkins-Miller followed two missed shots, but pulled down both rebounds to give her three consecutive rebounds on one possession.

 

“She missed a bunch of close shots, but she did what she was supposed to do and pull down the rebounds,” said Ratcliff on the play of Perkins-Miller. “She won it for us on the boards… Those three straight rebounds really changed the momentum.”

 

Perkins-Miller racked up a season-high 21 rebounds (10 offensive, 11 defensive), while also scoring 10 points, creating her 10^th double-double of the season.

 

Four other Blossoms reached double-digits, highlighted by a team-high 18 points from sophomore Erika Brown, who connected on 6-of-11 shots from the field and 5-of-5 from the foul line.

 

Dubose followed with 15 points, nine coming from three-point range. She also picked up six rebounds, five assists and one steal.

 

Lees scored 12, wrapped up by Perkins-Miller and junior Yelitza Rivera with 10 points each.

 

North Alabama (15-13) was led by Dana Jackson’s game-high 20 points, followed by 19 points from Jameica York and Amber Rutherford.

 

The Blossoms play the No. 1 seed from the GSC-East, West Georgia, in the semi-finals on Saturday, March 7. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the Desoto Civic Center.