The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Charlotte
Blazers Drop 79-57 Contest At Charlotte
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2008
Final Stats (PDF) | Final Stats
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Junior forward Tamika Dukes led the Blazers with 16 points and nine rebounds as the UAB women's basketball team fell to the Charlotte 49ers, 79-57, Friday evening at Halton Arena. Senior guard Britney Jones and sophomore guard Amanda Peterson added 14 and 13 points, respectively, to UAB's total.
UAB moved to 1-2 on the year, while Charlotte improved its record to 3-1 overall.
Charlotte got off to a fast start, gaining its first double-digit lead at the 13:22 mark of the first half, 17-7. UAB began to chip away, led by a pair of treys by Peterson, to take the lead, 30-28, at the 6:05 mark. The 49ers made some key shots in the final minutes of the opening half to go into the break with an eight-point edge over the Blazers, 44-36.
Charlotte came out in the second half and scored seven unanswered points to extend its lead to 15, 51-36, with 18:14 remaining in the game. The 49ers continued their sharp-shooting throughout the rest of the game and finished with a 79-57 win over UAB.
"After tonight, we have things that we need to go back and work on," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "We need to do a better job rebounding, especially not giving up the offensive boards. We also have been turning the ball over too much. We need to take care of the ball.
"I am proud of the fact that this team did not give up tonight. But, we have some work to do to get better."
UAB shot 46.7 percent in the first half, but cooled off in the second half, hitting just 26.5 percent of its shots. The Blazers, who shot 35.9 percent overall, also hit 35.0 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
Dukes went 7-of-16 from the floor for a career-high 16 points, while also adding nine rebounds and one assist for UAB. Jones tallied 14 points, three rebounds, four assists and one steal against the 49ers.
Peterson scored 13 points on the night for the Blazers, led by a trio of three-point buckets. Senior forward Brianna Berry grabbed nine rebounds and chipped in two points.
Charlotte hit 47.5 percent of its attempts on the night, including 50.0 percent in the second half. The 49ers went 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from beyond the arc and 20-of-27 (74.1 percent) from the charity stripe.
Guard Aysha Jones paced Charlotte with 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Forward Erin Floyd shot 5-of-12 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe for 16 points. Center Danielle Burgin led the 49ers on the boards with nine rebounds to go along with her eight points.
The Blazers' next outing will be Wednesday when they host in-state foe No. 20 Auburn. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Bartow Arena.
