BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. - Coming off what could be considered the best win of the 2022-23 season to date, the University of Mobile Women's Basketball team traveled north to Blue Mountain, Miss. for an afternoon conference game against Blue Mountain Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 14. Two days prior to Saturday's game against the Toppers, Mobile upset rival William Carey at home, 64-61. On Saturday, Mobile's momentum continued as the Rams scored a 77-70 victory over Blue Mountain.
The win propels Mobile's record to 9-10 on the season, while advancing the SSAC record to 5-4.
Mobile Makes It Two in a Row
In the first of two regular season meetings with Blue Mountain, Mobile started the game out strong on the offensive side, tallying 20 points through the first quarter. Entering the second quarter, the Rams led the Toppers by four points, but allowed Blue Mountain to score 17 points in the second quarter while scoring just 13 points of their own in the final 10 minutes of the first half. At the break, the game was tied, 33-33.
The game remained even through the third quarter as both teams started the second half by scoring 16 points each. However, the fourth quarter became the difference as Mobile put up a whopping 28 points in the final 10 minutes. Blue Mountain managed a strong fourth as well on the offensive side, but was held to only 21 points and eventually fell to the Rams, 77-70.
Inside the box score, Mobile proved to be the better team, shooting above 42% from the field, while holding the Toppers to a 34% shooting line. Additionally, the Rams dominated the rebound battle, securing 42 total rebounds, 20 better than Blue Mountain's 22. Mobile tallied 14 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points in the win. The Mobile defense managed seven steals, while the team scored 12 points off Blue Mountain turnovers on the offensive side.
Individually, Claire Worth led all scorers in the game with a season-high 20 points, adding a season-high 12 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Worth shot 50% from the field and added three assists to her day. She was followed by MacKenzie White, who also notched a season-high in scoring. White finished with 19 points in the victory, being two rebounds shy of a double-double of her own. After Saturday's performances, both Worth and White are averaging over eight points per contest on the season.
Cosette Balmy joined White in being two rebounds shy of a double-double, grabbing eight boards and scoring 13 points. Meanwhile, Erica Jones, Mobile's current leader in offense on the season, finished the afternoon with 12 points, giving her a weekly average of 18 points per game during Mobile's 2-0 week. She scored a career-high 24 points in the Rams' win over William Carey on Thursday. Jones continues to average just under 14 points per game on the year.
Back to Work in Next Week
Mobile will continue conference play on the road next Thursday, Jan. 19 as the Rams travel to Cochran, Ga. for a conference game against Middle Georgia State University. Next Thursday's game is set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
