No. 14 Vanderbilt Muscles Past UAB, 85-63

Thursday, November 30

Birmingham, Ala.

7:00 PM

UAB

Vanderbilt

No. 14 Vanderbilt Muscles Past UAB, 85-63

11/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Nov. 30, 2006

Final Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB women's basketball team fell to No. 14 Vanderbilt, 85-63, Thursday evening in Bartow Arena despite a valiant effort by the Blazers. UAB put together a stellar first half, and continued to breathe down the neck of the Commodores throughout the second half before falling to Vanderbilt by a total of 22 points.

The first minutes of the game went back-and-forth as Vanderbilt could not get in a rhythm and turned the ball over multiple times. The Commodores mistakes turned into points for UAB, going up by three with 16:25 remaining in the first half on a layup by sophomore Brianna Berry.

Vanderbilt came roaring back with a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead over the Blazers, which marked the Commodores largest lead of the first period, with 12:54 on the clock. The Blazers responded to regain the lead at the 10:18 mark when freshman Fatiha Salaam knocked down a trey to put UAB up, 16-15.

As the two teams traded shots, the Blazers finally moved out in front of the Commodores by its biggest first-half lead of four with 8:10 left in the half when sophomore Britney Jones nailed a long three-pointer. Carla Thomas boosted Vanderbilt back into the lead late in the first half, but UAB scratched back courtesy of four free throws from junior Christon Ingram to hold a one point lead at the break, 35-34.

The Blazers bench played a major role in giving UAB its halftime lead, as they added 17 points to the Blazer effort. Jones hit 4-of-8 in the first 20 minutes of play for a team-best 11 points. Junior Diamond Rogers neared double-digits in the first half, tallying nine points on a trio of baskets and a pair of free throws.

Thomas helped the Commodores edge UAB in shooting, 48.0 percent compared to UAB's 35.5 percent, by sinking 6-of-8 for 16 points in the first half. Thomas also added two steals, two assists and a team-high five boards in the opening period.

UAB opened the second period on a good note with a layup by senior Carmen Guzman to give UAB a three-point lead. The two squads continued to go shot-for-shot, with the score deadlocked at 42-all with 15:35 remaining in the game.

That is when the Commodores began to break loose and eventually take their first double-digit lead of the night on a three-pointer by Christina Wirth that put Vanderbilt up by 11. Despite the determination and effort on the part of UAB, the Blazers could not dig themselves out of the hole and eventually dropped the contest to the Commodores by a count of 85-63.

Jones led the way for the Blazers, finding the hot hand and sinking a personal season-high 19 points. Jones also added a pair of assists and three steals. Rogers continued her consistent play by tallying 16 points and nabbing a team-high seven rebounds against the Commodores. Guzman also reached double figures, her sixth time this season, by hitting a half dozen shots and a trio of free throws for 15 points.

Vanderbilt's center Thomas put on a show against UAB, putting 14-of-19 shots through the net for team-high 32 points. Thomas earned herself a double-double as well, pulling down 11 boards to go along with her 32 points. Caroline Williams hit a quartet of three's on her way to 14 points, while Christina Wirth and Liz Sherwood scored 11 a piece.

The Commodores shot an impressive 56.4 percent on the night, while the Blazers hit 36.1 percent of their shots. Vanderbilt was also on target from behind the arc, netting seven treys compared to five for UAB.

Next on the schedule for the Blazers is a non-conference game at Mississippi State on Sunday, December 3. Tip-off between the Blazers and the Lady Bulldogs is set for 2 p.m. CST in Starkville, Miss.