The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Furman
Women's Basketball Takes Blazer Invitational Title By Defeating Furman, 72-64
12/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB women's basketball team survived a late charge by Furman, as the Blazers defeated the Lady Paladins, 72-64, here in the championship game of the Blazer Invitational on Thursday evening. The win was UAB's second-consecutive victory as the Blazers (3-9) took the championship of the tournament.
Furman cut the Blazers' lead to one, 57-56, with just over six minutes left in the game. UAB continued to battle, as the Blazers went on a 9-2 run to secure the win.
"It was extremely important for us to win at home these past two games, especially since we started off so poorly," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "Our confidence was up after the win last night and I told them that we had an opportunity to win the championship and that it was really important for us to do that. I've seen a lot of players step up lately and start playing extremely well. Right now we're doing a good job of coming together as a team and playing as a team."
UAB had two players selected to the all-tournament team, Crystal McFadden and Carmen Guzman, who was named Most Valuable Player. McFadden tallied 31 points and nine rebounds, while Guzman recorded 34 points and seven assists in the two games.
"Carmen is extremely important to us, the players all look up to her," said Smith. "Not only is she an incredible athlete, but she's a smart player as well. She can be that extended coach for us on the court, which really helps us out as well as the players. They really respect her, not only for her ability, but as a person too. She's done a tremendous job of leading this team."
For the second-consecutive game, the Blazers made over 50 percent of their shots. UAB was 27-of-50 from the floor for 54.0 percent. Additionally, UAB was 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Blazers had four players score in double-digits. In addition to McFadden and Guzman tallying 20 each, Katie Billue had a career-high 13 points and Deirdre Larry contributed 13.
"I was pleased with everybody's effort tonight," Smith said. "I felt like this was a full team effort and that they did very well, especially on the defensive end. We did a very good job of blocking their best three-point shooter, in (Laney) Harris. We didn't allow her to get a good look, and that really helped us and was a team effort. We really focused on our defense in our last practice and worked to make sure we could contain Furman tonight."
Furman (8-3) also had a solid shooting performance, hitting 22-of-47 from the floor. Mivvi Strickland led the Lady Paladins with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the game. Tommi Paris added 12, while Princess Wells recorded 11.
The Blazers took a 34-28 lead into the locker room. UAB was hot from the floor in the first half, hitting 14-of-25 shots, good for 56.0 percent. Both McFadden and Guzman tallied 13 points in the first 20 minutes, as they each went 5-of-6 from the floor. Additionally, Guzman was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Furman was strong from the floor as well, as the Lady Paladins were 10-of-24.
UAB heads to Atlanta, Ga., to face Georgia Tech on Monday, January 3rd, at 7 p.m., in its final game before beginning conference play.
