The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UBBC APOsport
UAB Women's Basketball Wins Exhibition, 87-81
11/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- Junior guard Crystal McFadden recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the UAB women's basketball team to an 87-81 victory in its exhibition game against UBBC APOsport here Friday night. After UBBC APOsport cut the Blazers' lead to two, 83-81, with 18 seconds left in the contest, McFadden hit two critical free throws to seal the win for UAB.
McFadden hit 7-of-15 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Additionally, she tallied two assists and three steals in 31 minutes of play.
Three other Blazers scored in double digits, as sophomore guard LaKitha Murray had 14, junior forward Domaneice Moore scored 13 and senior guard Deirdre Larry tallied 12 on the night. UAB hit only 38.2 percent from the floor, but registered 24 second-chance points off of 23 offensive rebounds.
"I thought tonight went very well," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "We got off to a great start at the beginning of the game but started to relax. We were able to get to the rim early and knock down some shots. We have a very young team but we managed to generate some offense. We have to continue to build their confidence. I told them in the locker room that I was happy to see them put so many points on the board. We faced an older team and got beat on a couple of drives to the basket. Those are things we can build on defensively. It's great to win such a close game this early because it will give us confidence."
UAB's bench was huge, as the Blazers got 38 points from non-starters, compared to 20 from UBBC APOsport's bench. UAB also took advantage at the charity stripe, hitting 30-of-41 free throws, while allowing UBBC APOsport only 27 free throw chances. The Blazers' defense forced 19 turnovers, while picking 11 steals.
The Blazers had a 46-40 lead at the break. UAB tallied 16 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds, and allowed UBBC APOsport zero second-chance points and only six offensive boards.
UAB begins its regular season on Friday, Nov. 18, when it hosts Georgia Tech in Bartow Arena at 7 p.m.
