WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. - The University of Mobile Women's Basketball team saw the 2023-24 season conclude on Friday evening, Mar. 15, with Mobile falling to Bryan College (Tenn.) 66-49 in the first round of the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament.
The Rams earned the No. 3 seed in the Williamsburg Bracket in Williamsburg, Ky., hosted by the University of the Cumberlands (Ky), and battled the second-seeded Lions of Bryan in Friday's first-round matchup.
The game remained close throughout the first half, with Bryan having the edge at the end of both first-half quarters. Bryan eventually took a 29-20 lead to halftime, shooting 41% from the field through the first 20 minutes. For Mobile, offense struggled with consistency as the Rams tallied just seven made shots from the floor in the half.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Rams tightened up the defense and managed to shrink the Bryan lead to just one point at the end of the third quarter. Mobile continued the second-half comeback in the early stages of the fourth quarter, grabbing the lead 44-40 with just over eight minutes remaining in regulation. However, Bryan shook off the Mobile comeback and put together an 18-2 run throughout the remaining minutes of the fourth and eventually earned the 66-49 victory to advance to the second round of the national tournament and end Mobile's season.
Mobile finished the first-round defeat shooting just 32% as a team, adding an 11-for-18 shooting mark from the free throw line. Braylee McMath paced the Rams with 18 points, adding four rebounds, while Miya Kimber collected 12 points and seven boards before fouling out of the game late in the fourth quarter. MacKenzie White tallied six points, a team-high nine rebounds, and four steals in the loss.
Mobile's two offensive leaders on the season were held in check as Erica Jones finished her final game as a Ram with only eight points to her name, while Alanna Donaldson was held scoreless through 38 minutes of playing time.
Reflection on Historic Season
The University of Mobile Women's Basketball team finished the 2023-24 season with a 26-7 overall record under first-year head coach and former Ram Sydney Westry, recording the second-most wins in a season in program history. The current high is 30 wins, set by the 2001-02 team.
Westry took her team to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2016-17 season, where Westry was last a player with Mobile. Mobile went 16-4 in SSAC play, finishing as the runner-up in the SSAC Tournament, and averaged over 71 points per game in the 33-game season.
Senior Erica Jones finished her incredible collegiate career with 1,384 points, earning multiple SSAC First-Team All-Conference selections in the process, while both MacKenzie White and Alanna Donaldson earned the SSAC Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year Awards. Donaldson joined Jones on this year's first-team all-conference team in the SSAC.
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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.
