The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Louisiana-Monroe Slips Past Blazers, 80-73
11/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB women's basketball team fell to the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe on Friday evening, 80-73, within the confines of Bartow Arena. The Blazers shot 42.9 percent from the field and were led in scoring by senior Carmen Guzman with 21 points. Guzman also added a pair of rebounds and a team-best six assists during her 39 minutes on the floor.
The Blazers jumped out early courtesy of two consecutive baskets by junior Christon Ingram to begin the ballgame. A layup by Ingram with 17:22 on the clock put UAB up by four, 8-4. A three-pointer by ULM's April O'Neal with 16:32 left in the first half sparked the Warhawks' comeback. Another basket from behind the arc by O'Neal gave ULM its first lead of the game, 14-11, at the 18:13 mark.
The two squads continued to swap leads throughout the first half, with Louisiana-Monroe holding its largest lead of six, 28-22, with 6:12 on the clock. Offensive production from Guzman and junior Diamond Rogers put the Blazers back in the lead, going up by as much a five. UAB held onto the lead and went into halftime with a three-point advantage over the Warhawks, 34-31.
The Blazers continued to maintain the lead during much of the second half of play. ULM scraped back and took its first lead of the second period at the 12:19 marker when a jumper by Courtney Carter put the Warhawks on top of UAB by one, 44-43. UAB and ULM continued to battle and were tied at 61-all with 4:33 remaining in the game thanks to a trey by UAB sophomore Brianna Berry.
As time was winding down, the Warhawks hit some critical shots and the Blazers were forced to foul. A pair of free throws with one second left in the game put the final score at 80-73 in favor of ULM.
Along with Guzman, there were two additional Blazers in double figures, including Rogers, who flirted with a double-double with 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Ingram went 5-of-6 from the field for 14 points in 19 minutes before fouling out of the game. Berry added five points and seven rebounds on the night, including a team-high three offensive boards.
LaJeanna Howard was the scoring leader for the Warhawks with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. O'Neal had 16 points, aided by a trio of three pointers, and Nedra Winston tallied a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Next on the schedule for UAB (0-3) is UT-Chattanooga (2-1) on Monday, November 20. The Blazers tangle with the Lady Mocs in a 7 p.m. contest in Bartow Arena.
