The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UCF
Blazers Erase Double-Digit Deficit To Defeat UCF, 74-65
2/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. ----- The UAB women's basketball team erased a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat UCF, 74-65, Friday night at UCF Arena. The Blazers were down 12 points with 10:17 remaining in the contest, but outscored the Golden Knights 30-9 to finish out the game.
With 5:13 left in the game, UAB's Britney Jones hit a three pointer to give the Blazers a 60-59 lead, their first of the game. Jones led all scorers with 21 points in the contest, including 17 in the second half alone.
With the win, UAB improved to 14-10 overall and 7-6 in Conference USA. The Blazers have now doubled their win total from the 2004-05 season, as well as winning seven league games for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
"At the beginning of the game, I thought we started out really flat," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "Our team played like they thought this game was going to be easy and UCF came out on fire. They were more aggressive and we were back on our heels. In the second half, we settled down and let the game come to us. We totally shut them down defensively. This was a great road win for us and helps our confidence. This team has really matured and they've learned to never quit. That's going to help us go a long way."
UCF (5-19, 3-10) led by as much as 15 with 3:55 left in the first half, but the Blazers were able to cut the lead down to seven, 41-34, at the break. The two squads battled back and forth for the first 10 minutes of the second half, until UAB took control in the final minutes.
Carmen Guzman had another outstanding performance for the Blazers, recording the third double-double of her career and second of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Additionally, Crystal McFadden fought through an ankle injury in the first half to record 12 points, eight in the second half. Christon Ingram came off the bench to add 10 points, including going 4-of-4 from the free throw line, and five rebounds to the cause.
After allowing UCF to score 26 first-half points in the paint, UAB closed off the lane and allowed the Golden Knights only six in the final 20 minutes of action. The Blazers tallied 40 points of their own in the paint. Additionally, UAB recorded 25 points off the Golden Knights' 22 turnovers.
