The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Western Kentucky
Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener at Western Kentucky
11/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.--Western Kentucky rolled to a 92-50 victory over the UAB women's basketball team Friday evening in the 22nd annual BB&T Classic held in E.A. Diddle Arena. The game was the season opener for both squads. The Blazers were led by Crystal McFadden's 13 points and five rebounds. Deirdre Larry also contributed with ten points and seven boards.
The Lady Toppers jumped out of the gate quickly in the early going, grabbing a commanding 20-5 lead with 7:35 remaining in the first half. The Blazers struggled through the opening minutes and did not score until Larry's three-point field goal at the 16:00 mark. Western Kentucky showed no signs of letting up and took a 38-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.
WKU's Tiffany Porter-Talbert led all scorers with 14 points at the half and finished the night with a game-high 21. The Blazers made good on just 25% of their field goals in the opening half while the Toppers saw 58% of their shots fall.
Western Kentucky started strong in the second half while UAB again had trouble finding the basket early on. The Blazers went on a small run late in the game, but the Lady Toppers proved too much for UAB on opening night, cruising to a 42-point win.
The Blazers did force 23 turnovers in the game and came up with ten steals compared to WKU's five. UAB's Carmen Guzman recorded a career-high five steals to go along with her eight points.
The Blazers return to action for their home-opener Sunday when they host Ole Miss at 2 p.m.(CT) in Bartow Arena.
