LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama women’s basketball team returns to action on the hardwood, following the holiday break, as the Tigers (3-7) return to Pensacola, Fla. for the second time this season to take part in the West Florida Holiday Classic. UWA opens the classic on Monday, Dec. 29 against No. 20 Arkansas Tech in a 4:00 p.m. affair.

The Tigers closed out the pre-holiday slate with a 63-61 overtime win over the University of Arkansas at Monticello in the sixth annual Lloyd Clark Classic in Cleveland, Miss. Valerie Harris, who was named Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Week for her efforts, led the Red and White with a career-high 23 points. Keiara Middleton also posted double figures in the contest with 13 points. Danielle Baldwin paced the Tigers on the glass with a career-high nine rebounds.

Harris, a Lake, Miss.-native, is posting a 16.6 scoring average to lead UWA. The senior forward also leads the Red and White on the boards with 7.7 rebounds per contest. Middleton, a Birmingham, Ala.-product, is second on the team in scoring with eight points a game.

Arkansas Tech enters Monday’s contest with a 7-3 record, but stumbled in its last outing, falling 79-65 to Incarnate Word, snapping a three-game win streak. The Golden Suns are led by Amanda Grappe and Anna Baran, who average double figures in scoring. Grappe paces ATU with 20.5 points per game, while Baran is averaging 12.2 per outing. Grappe also leads Tech on the glass with a 7.7 rebounding average.

UWA closes out the UWF Holiday Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 30 against Southern Arkansas at 4:00 p.m. The Lady Muleriders, who will face host UWF on the first day, enter the classic with 5-6 record. SAU ended the pre-holiday line up with 56-52 win against Newman. Goldie White paces SAU in scoring with 18.6 points per night. Kmaria Hobbs and Crystal Kirk join White in averaging double figures scoring with 16.9 and 10 points per game respectively. Hobbs also leads SAU on the glass, averaging 7.9 boards.

Following the two-day classic in Pensacola, Fla., West Alabama returns to Pruitt Hall for only its second home game of the season in a rematch against Christian Brothers on Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2:00 p.m.