Second Half Surge Propels Women's Basketball Past Coastal South, 73-62
Decatur, AL — Calhoun women's basketball leaned on a strong second half push Thursday night, battling through a slow start to earn a hard-fought 73–62 home win over Coastal Alabama South inside Kelley Gymnasium.
The Coyotes arrived in Decatur with a 12–4 overall record and immediately brought energy and pressure, forcing early turnovers and dictating the opening stretch. Coastal capitalized on those miscues to jump out to a 20–12 first-quarter lead, setting the tone with quick hands and aggressive defense.
The second quarter saw Calhoun begin to steady the ship. The Warhawks took care of the basketball and attacked the rim with more purpose, slowly clawing back momentum. Coastal continued to find success at the free-throw line, but the game leveled out as the half progressed. Calhoun went into the break trailing 34–26, still searching for a spark.
Early in the third, it looked as though Coastal might regain control, using turnovers to generate points on the other end, until midway through the quarter when the Warhawks flipped the switch. Full-court pressure disrupted the Coyotes' rhythm, while Calhoun's frontcourt began to assert itself in the paint. The late surge allowed the Warhawks to rally and take a one-point lead into the final period.
The fourth quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle. With the score tied 54–54, Calhoun made the decisive plays down the stretch. A critical steal by Gabrielle Stigger led to points at the line, and moments later, Jamya Glover stepped into a passing lane to intercept a long Coastal inbounds attempt. From there, the Warhawks calmly closed the game at the free-throw line to secure the 73–62 victory.
Sophomore Jamya Glover finished with 13 points and six rebounds in a starting lineup appearance, while Kamora Simpson led Calhoun scorers with a complete performance of 21 points, eight rebounds, and six steals. Gabrielle Stigger added 16 points and six steals, and Victoria Pyles chipped in 11 points.
After the game, head coach Candace Byrd praised her team's response to adversity. "I'm really proud of our resilience tonight," Byrd said. "We didn't start the way we wanted to, but the girls never wavered. They stayed together, picked each other up, and stepped up when it mattered most. We had multiple players make winning plays down the stretch, and that says a lot about this group."
The Warhawks (11-7, 2-1) will hit the road next, traveling to Gadsden State (9-9, 1-2) on Monday, January 26, for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.