MONTEVALLO, Ala. – A three-pointer at the buzzer by Auburn Montgomery’s Carlie Ainsworth opened the 2007-2008 season on a sour note for the University of West Alabama women’s basketball team, as the Tigers fall 61-59 in the UM Coca-Cola Classic at People's Bank and Trust Arena.

Ashton Washington, who finished the night with her 14^th career double-double, lifted UWA to 59-58 advantage with six seconds remaining in the contest, as the Lexington, Miss.-native led the Tigers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

UWA (0-1) led by two at the intermission and opened the second stanza on a 14-5 run, capped by a trey from Jessica Thompson, who finished with 12 points on the night, at the 15:46 mark in the contest. The Tigers extended its lead to as many as 13 points, on two separate occasions, in the second half.

The Lady Senators (2-1) chipped away after the first 10 minutes of the second half and with less than two minutes remaining in the outing took its first lead after the break at 55-54 on a jumper by Melanie Gees. AUM extended its lead to four points with 37-seconds remaining on a pair of free throws by Ainsworth.

UWA, which shot 35-percent from the field in the contest, scored three points over the next 31-seconds to pull within one point and Washington’s free throws in the final seconds of the game.

Irimar Hernandez tallied 11 points on the night to round out the double-digit scoring leaders for UWA.

AUM’s Brittany Moore paced the Lady Senators with 17 points, as Gees supplied 14 and Ainsworth finished with 11 points. Gees posted a game leading 11 boards in the contest.

West Alabama returns to action on Saturday, November 17, as the Tigers will face Gulf South Conference West Division foe Harding in the second day of the UM Coca-Cola Classic at People’s Bank and Trust Arena. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.