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Tuesday, March 24
Fort Wayne, Ind.
7 PM
Purdue Fort Wayne
77
vs
72
South Alabama
Photo by: Josh Gales
Nelson’s 37 Powers Late Rally in WNIT Win Over South Alabama
3/24/2026 9:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne erased an eight-point deficit with less than four minutes remaining in a 77-72 victory over South Alabama in the Women's National Invitation Tournament Second Round on Tuesday (March 24).
The win advances the Mastodons to the WNIT Super 16 for a third consecutive season. Next up for the Mastodons is a trip to Arkansas State on Friday (March 27) with a tentative start time of 2 p.m. ET.
Purdue Fort Wayne is one of two schools in the country to make the Super 16 in each of the last three seasons. The other is Illinois State.
A big reason for the comeback was Alana Nelson. The Springport, Michigan native finished with a season-high 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting with four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Nelson did most of her damage in the first and fourth quarters. She scored 15 points in a first quarter that saw the 'Dons lead 26-23 after 10 minutes. Nelson scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to finish the late Mastodon rally.
South Alabama took a 69-61 lead with 3:42 on the clock. Then Nelson kicked it into another gear. She hit a turnaround jumper to start a 16-3 Mastodon run that lasted until the final buzzer. She had 10of the points, highlighting the stretch with back-to-back 3-pointers to put the 'Dons up 74-69 with 59 seconds remaining, with the Gates Sports Center erupting louder with each bucket. Purdue Fort Wayne forced five South Alabama turnovers in the final three-plus minutes, part of the 29 they forced on the evening.
Nelson's 37 points put her in the top-10 in program history in single-game scoring, with the third-highest mark in a Division I game. Jordan Reid swiped seven steals, a career-high and tied for the fourth-most in a game in Mastodon history.
Purdue Fort Wayne shot 42.3 percent (30-of-71) from the floor while the Jaguars finished at 28-of-55 for 50.9 percent. The Mastodons scored 30 points off the Jaguars' 29 turnovers.
Lili Krasovec had 12 points, including four points in the key 13-0 run.
The game featured 15 lead changes and five ties.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 21-13. South Alabama closes the season 17-19.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
The win advances the Mastodons to the WNIT Super 16 for a third consecutive season. Next up for the Mastodons is a trip to Arkansas State on Friday (March 27) with a tentative start time of 2 p.m. ET.
Purdue Fort Wayne is one of two schools in the country to make the Super 16 in each of the last three seasons. The other is Illinois State.
A big reason for the comeback was Alana Nelson. The Springport, Michigan native finished with a season-high 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting with four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Nelson did most of her damage in the first and fourth quarters. She scored 15 points in a first quarter that saw the 'Dons lead 26-23 after 10 minutes. Nelson scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to finish the late Mastodon rally.
South Alabama took a 69-61 lead with 3:42 on the clock. Then Nelson kicked it into another gear. She hit a turnaround jumper to start a 16-3 Mastodon run that lasted until the final buzzer. She had 10of the points, highlighting the stretch with back-to-back 3-pointers to put the 'Dons up 74-69 with 59 seconds remaining, with the Gates Sports Center erupting louder with each bucket. Purdue Fort Wayne forced five South Alabama turnovers in the final three-plus minutes, part of the 29 they forced on the evening.
Nelson's 37 points put her in the top-10 in program history in single-game scoring, with the third-highest mark in a Division I game. Jordan Reid swiped seven steals, a career-high and tied for the fourth-most in a game in Mastodon history.
Purdue Fort Wayne shot 42.3 percent (30-of-71) from the floor while the Jaguars finished at 28-of-55 for 50.9 percent. The Mastodons scored 30 points off the Jaguars' 29 turnovers.
Lili Krasovec had 12 points, including four points in the key 13-0 run.
The game featured 15 lead changes and five ties.
Purdue Fort Wayne improves to 21-13. South Alabama closes the season 17-19.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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