TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The UALR Trojans had control of Sunday's WNIT second-round game against the Alabama Crimson Tide for nearly three quarters.
Then came the final 11 minutes, 30 seconds at Coleman Coliseum.
Alabama (21-13) outscored the University of Arkansas at Little Rock 19-5 to end the game, and the Crimson Tide rallied for a 55-53 victory to end UALR's season.
Jordan Lewis scored the game-winner when she rebounded her own miss with :05 to play.
The Trojans (25-9) were unable to get off a shot in the remaining seconds.
Sharde Collins, in her final game, scored 20 points, including the 1,000th of her career in the third quarter, while adding five rebounds and a block.
Sophomore Kira Shepard scored 10 points for UALR. She also contributed 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
Senior Kaitlyn Pratt, also playing her final game as a Trojan, had seven points and 10 rebounds.. Junior Monique Townson contributed 7 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds.
Jordan's game-winning basket gave Alabama its second lead of the second half, the other coming at 49-48 on Shaquera Wade's jumper with 6:33 to play.
The Crimson Tide led once in the first half, at 17-14, after a three-pointer by Quanetria Bolton with 6:15 to play in the second quarter.
UALR led for 31 of the game's 40 minutes.
The Trojans tied it at 17-17 on a three-pointer by Collins at the 5:53 mark, and the Trojans dominated the next 12:23, a stretch spanning the second and third quarters, outscoring Alabama 15-6 to end the first half for a 32-23 lead.
The Crimson Tide pulled within 32-27 with 8:43 to go in the third quarter, but the Trojans pulled a way again, building their largest lead at 45-32 after a basket by Shepard at the 4:32 mark of the third quarter.
UALR still led 48-36 at the 1:30 mark, but the Trojans scored eight points the rest of the way.
Alabama outrebounded UALR 38-27 and outscored the Trojans 38-10 on points in the lane.
Alabama scored the final five points of the third quarter to make it 48-41 heading into the fourth quarter, and the Crimson Tide scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, going ahead Wade's basket.
The game went back and forth from there, with Collins's basket giving UALR a 50-49 lead at 5:22 and a layup by Shepard giving the Trojans a 52-50 lead.
A free throw by Kaitlyn Pratt with 2:44, UALR's final point, gave the Trojans a 53-52 advantage.
Alabama tied it at 53-53 on a Lewis' free throw with :58 to play.
UALR turned it over when Collins was called for offensive foul as she drove the lane and tried to get up a shot with the time clock running down.
Alabama got the ball back with :31 left, and worked for the final shot.
Sports on 03/20/2017