The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulane
Women's Basketball Earns 51-49 Victory Over Tulane
1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Freshman guard Miteka Trueheart scored a career-high 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the UAB women's basketball team to a 51-49 victory over Conference USA foe Tulane on Thursday evening at Bartow Arena. Brittany Lindsey was the lone player to score in double figures for the Green Wave with 13 points on the night.
UAB improves its overall record to 8-13, including a 3-5 mark in C-USA. Tulane falls to 11-10 overall and 3-4 in league play.
The game started slowly, with UAB going the first 7:28 without scoring a basket and Tulane holding a 6-0 lead. The Blazers went on a 9-2 run that gave them their first lead of the game, 9-8, at the 10:09 mark.
With the game tied at 11-11 with 9:02 remaining in the opening half, UAB held the Green Wave without a field goal the rest of the half and outscored them 17-1 to hold a 28-12 lead at the break.
The Blazers continued to hold a double-digit lead throughout most of the second half, including a game-high 17-point advantage, 49-32, at the 6:07 mark. UAB went cold and Tulane forced the Blazers into eight turnovers down the stretch that turned into a 15-0 run for the Green Wave and put them within two, 49-47, with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
Up two with 14 seconds left, UAB senior guard Britney Jones put a pair of free throws through the net to make it a two possession game and put the Blazers up, 51-47. A layup by Tulane's Megan Valicevic with three seconds on the clock proved too late as UAB earned the 51-49 win over the Green Wave.
"This was a big win for us," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "We needed to get back on the winning track. We were coming off a four-game road stretch and it was nice to finally be at home and get this victory.
"Tonight wasn't a very pretty game. Both teams had some dry spells and both teams made some runs. We got sloppy at the end and Tulane made a nice comeback. We managed to hold them off and Britney Jones made a pair of crucial free throws for us in the end to come away with the victory."
UAB shot 42.6 percent for the game, including 50.0 percent in the second half. The Blazers were cold from beyond the arc, hitting just 2-of-18 three pointers (11.1 percent), with both baskets coming in the first half.
Trueheart's 16 points marked the first double-digit scoring game of her career. She also added a career-best four rebounds and two steals for the Blazers.
Jones was the other Blazer who scored in double figures, falling just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
Junior guard Fatiha Salaam added eight points and eight rebounds to UAB's efforts, while junior forward Tamika Dukes contributed eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
Tulane shot just 29.3 percent on the night, including 20.0 percent in the first half and 36.4 percent in the second half. The Green Wave went 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from three-point range and 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) from the charity stripe.
Lindsey's 13 points came on 5-of-12 shooting and 3-of-7 from the free throw line. Valicevic added six points and a game-high 10 rebounds for Tulane.
Ashley Langford paced the Green Wave in assists and steals with seven each, while also tallying six points and four rebounds.
UAB will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts the UTEP Miners in a C-USA matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Bartow Arena.
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