Women's Wheelchair Basketball Gets Off to a Hot Start in Intercollegiate Play

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 The University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team went a perfect 18-0 in National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) intercollegiate division play last season en route to a fourth consecutive national championship.

The Crimson Tide picked up right where they left off going 4-0 in their first NWBA intercollegiate division action of the season at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament this past weekend on Dec. 1 and 2.

See also: Crimson Tide Wheelchair Tennis Bounces Back with Pair of Wins at the Auburn Open

Alabama opened up with its most dominant win of the tournament, beating the host Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks 80-26 on the morning of Dec. 1 behind sophomore Ixhelt Gonzalez’s game-high 16 points.


Alabama opened play at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament by beating the host Warhawks 80-26 on the morning of Dec. 1. Senior Bailey Moody pictured.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Graduate student Joy Haizeldan and freshman Lisa Clary-Gailbert also had double-digit scoring performances in the Tide’s tournament-opening win with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Haizeldan led the team in shooting percentage, going 6/7 (85.7 percent).

Alabama followed that up with a 57-36 win over the University of Illinois that afternoon.


Alabama beat the University of Illinois 57-36 on the afternoon of Dec. 1 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament. Freshman Erin Buckles pictured.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Senior Mary Silberman led the way with a game-high 20 points. She also had a game-best 69.2 field goal percentage, going 9/13 from the field, including 1/2 on three-point attempts. 

Haizeldan and Gonzalez also had double-digit scoring performances in the win with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Alabama held Illinois to 14 points in the second half, seven each in the third and fourth quarters.

See also: Men's Wheelchair Basketball Sweeps Jalapenos Invitational

The Crimson Tide’s best defensive performance of the tournament came in their third game, as they held University of Arizona to 34.8 percent (16/46) shooting en route to a 76-38 win on the morning of Dec. 2.


Alabama beat the University of Arizona 76-38 on the morning of Dec. 2 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Tournament. Senior Moira Paulus pictured.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Gonzalez led the way in that win with game-highs in points (22), rebounds (10), and assists (6).

Silberman added 19 points, and senior Bailey Moody added 16 points.

Moody had a game-high 87.5 shooting percentage, going 7/8 from the field, including making her only three-point attempt.

Alabama added a win-by-forfeit in a scheduled match against the City University of New York due to CUNY being down a player due to injury.

Alabama was efficient offensively throughout the tournament, shooting 39/60 (65.0 percent) in the win over Wisconsin-Whitewater, 27/47 (57.4 percent) in the win over Illinois, and 35/53 (66.0 percent) in the win over Arizona.


Sophomore Ixhelt Gonzalez (pictured during the game against the University of Illinois the prior day) had a triple-double in Alabama's 76-38 win over the University of Arizona on Dec. 2.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Alabama will continue NWBA intercollegiate division play this coming weekend at home at Stran-Hardin Arena in the Powerade Invitational with rematches against Arizona and Wisconsin-Whitewater and a pair of games against the University of Texas-Arlington.

Tickets for that tournament can be purchased online here or in-person at Stran-Hardin Arena.

See also: Alabama Adapted Athletics to Start Charging Admission

See the complete Alabama women's wheelchair basketball schedule here.

 

 

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