The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Austin Peay
Trio Leads UAB to 75-66 Win Over Austin Peay
12/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2009
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - UAB freshman guard Amber Jones scored a career-high 22 points and freshman guard Jala Harris chipped in 20 to lead the Blazers to a 75-66 victory over the Austin Peay Lady Govs (3-10) on Wednesday night at the Dunn Center.
Senior forward Tamika Dukes made it her seventh game in a row with double digits, scoring 17, as UAB won its fourth contest of the last five to improve to 6-6.
"We did a phenomenal job on defense," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "I told them we were going to have to take the ball away (from Austin Peay) to get them out of rhythm, and we did that from the beginning."
Jones, Harris and Dukes combined for 59 of UAB's points, including a 10-of-11 performance from the stripe.
"It was good to see Amber attack the basket tonight," Smith said. "She knocked down some huge 3-pointers for us at key moments.
"Watching Jala tonight reminded me of her high school and AAU days when she would just take over a game. She really had that swagger on the court.
"And I can't say enough about the way Tamika gives her all and continuously sacrifices her body for the good of the team."
The trio also had three of the team's season-high six blocked shots.
"I always tell them we're not a shot-blocking team," Smith said. "They certainly proved me wrong and gave me grief about it when we got back in the locker room."
Four of those blocks came in the second half, as UAB turned up the defensive pressure. The Blazers held the Lady Govs to 38.7 percent shooting in the latter frame after they shot a 55.6 percent clip in the first half.
For Austin Peay, Jasmine Rayner led the way with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Brooke Faulkner contributed 10 points. UAB held the Lady Govs' leading scorer Ashley Herring to just four points.
The first half was a battle, with five ties and five lead changes, but the Blazers took over in the second half. UAB took a 39-37 advantage into the break then busted out of halftime with a 12-2 run. Harris sparked the run with a 3-pointer to open the half and went on to score 15 points in the frame.
UAB widened the margin to as many as 16 in the second period. The Lady Govs trimmed UAB's lead to nine several times in the waning minutes, but the Blazers staved off the late charge for the nine-point victory.
Next up, the Blazers host the SMU Mustangs on Thursday, Jan. 7 to begin Conference USA play. The two teams tip off at 7 p.m.
