The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
East Carolina
UAB Edged By East Carolina in Overtime
1/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 28, 2010
GREENVILLE, N.C. -- UAB freshman guard Jala Harris led all scorers with 24 points and junior guard Amanda Peterson added 17, but it wasn't enough as the East Carolina Lady Pirates (16-4, 5-2 C-USA) edged the Blazers, 78-74, in overtime on Thursday night at Minges Coliseum. UAB is now 10-8 and 4-2 in Conference USA.
"This was one of those games you hate to see end because it was such a battle," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "I'm proud of the way we battled back from the deficit, but the bottom line is that we played lax, weren't as aggressive defensively in the second half and allowed them too many second chance opportunities. We didn't do a good job of knocking down shots and finishing down the stretch, and you have to be able to do that, especially on the road."
It marked the sixth time in the last seven games that Harris cracked the 20-point mark and 12th time in the last 14 games she has reached double-figures. She also knocked down four 3-pointers for the third straight game.
"Jala is a prolific scorer and she just continues to be consistent," Smith said. "She has been bringing it for us every game, and I can't ask her to do anything more for us than she's doing."
Freshman guard Amber Jones and senior forward Tamika Dukes also scored double-digits, with 14 and 10, respectively. For Dukes, it was the 13th straight game with at least 10 points.
ECU forward Kim Gay led the Lady Pirates with 19 points, while three others also contributed double-digit points. Guards Kelly Smith and Allison Spivey had 15 and 12, respectively, while forward Chareya Smith added 11.
Thursday's contest marks the second overtime loss of the season for UAB, with the other coming against Virginia Tech on Dec. 19. The Blazers last three losses have come by four points or less. It also marks the first time since Dec. 1 that UAB has suffered back-to-back losses.
The Blazers matched their season-high of 10 treys, with Peterson draining five of those, one off her season-high.
UAB held a 28-16 advantage in the paint and 40-21 advantage in bench points, but the Lady Pirates owned a 46-34 advantage in rebounds. The Blazers also had four more steals than ECU (11-7) and nine fewer turnovers (14-23).
The Blazers overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to send the game into overtime. UAB trailed, 61-51, with 8:18 to play before going on a 10-1 run that cut the Lady Pirates' lead to one. The Blazers fell behind, 72-70, with 54 seconds left, but Jones knocked down a jumper to tie the game for the 11th time. ECU had the final shot, but Kelly Smith's 3-pointer came up short.
Free throws proved to be the difference in the overtime period, as the Lady Pirates drained 3-of-4, including two with eight seconds to play and a 76-74 advantage to seal the win.
The Blazers continue the roadtrip on Saturday at Marshall. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CST.
