The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts SMU in Conference USA Opener
1/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team begins Conference USA play Thursday when it hosts the SMU Mustangs at 4 p.m.
The Blazers (6-6) and Mustangs (10-3) meet for the sixth time, with SMU owning a 3-2 advantage in the series. The last time the two teams met was on Feb. 15, 2009, in Dallas, Texas, with the Mustangs earning an 81-51 win. Thursday's contest marks SMU's third trip to Birmingham, with the two teams having split decisions at Bartow Arena. SMU captured an 84-51 win in February of 2008, while UAB claimed a 71-68 victory in January of 2007.
UAB has been successful in Conference USA openers under head coach Audra Smith. The Blazers are 4-1 in conference-opening games since she took the helm for the 2004-05 season. UAB has won its last three C-USA openers, all coming against Memphis. Since joining C-USA in 1995, the Blazers are 7-7 in conference openers. Thursday's matchup marks the first time UAB will open C-USA play against SMU.
The Blazers have been on a roll lately, having won four of their last five. Freshman guard Jala Harris leads the way with 13.8 points and 3.5 assists a game. Senior guard Tamika Dukes also has been a consistent contributor, reaching double-digits in seven straight games. She is averaging 12.5 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds a game.
SMU enters Thursday's game having dropped its last contest at Utah, 72-58, last Saturday. Prior to that, the Mustangs had won four in a row. SMU is led by Brittany Gilliam, averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 assists a game. Christine Elliott isn't far behind with 13.4 points a game and a team-leading 6.9 rebounds a game. As a team, the Mustangs are shooting 41.5 percent, while holding opponents to 38.5 percent shooting.
