The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Saint Louis
Lady Blazers Fall At Saint Louis, 64-54
2/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2003
ST. LOUIS, Mo. ----- The UAB women's basketball team (8-12, 4-3) suffered from cold shooting in the second half, hitting 4-of-23 shots from the floor, as they were defeated by Saint Louis (13-10, 4-4), 64-54, in Bauman-Eberhardt Center here Friday night.
After leading 35-33, the Lady Blazers were held without a field goal for the first 8:32 of the second half. The Billikens used the time to take the lead, 44-42, and take control of the game. UAB shot 17.4 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes after shooting 51.7 percent in the first half. Once again, three-point shooting was a weakness for UAB, as the Lady Blazers could not connect on any of their 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
Natasha Thomas collected 18 points and 16 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Michelle Smith added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Vanessa White and Chantell Thomas tallied eight points a piece. The Billikens' bench outscored UAB's reserves, 19-4 for the game.
"Tonight's game was a hard loss for us," said UAB head coach Jeannie Milling. "We really needed a win. Natasha and Michelle did everything they could for us, combining for 34 points and 25 rebounds. Our guard play was just not there tonight. We only got four points from our bench in 36 minutes of play. Saint Louis did a good job of pressuring us in the second half and we just did not respond well."
The Billikens had four players score in double-digits. Stephanie Solomon led all scorers with 19 points, Amy Van Deurzen had 12, LaKia Jones added 11 and Jana Haywood tallied 10. Saint Louis shot 49.0 percent for the game and recorded the only three-pointer of the game for either team.
The game was definitely the story of two halves, as the Lady Blazers started off the game by making their first eight shots. In the first half, UAB hit 15-of-29 shots. The Lady Blazers also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Billikens, 19-9 in the first 20 minutes of play, including a 9-3 advantage on the offensive glass. UAB finished the game with a 37-30 rebounding advantage, including a 16-3 offensive rebounding advantage.
Next, UAB travels to Memphis to face the Lady Tigers on Sunday, February 9, at 3 p.m.
