The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Head to Louisiana, Miami for First Road Tests
11/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2010
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the 2010-11 season, traveling to Louisiana and Miami. The Blazers travel to Lafayette, La., Saturday to take on Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns at 1 p.m. CT, then head to Miami to square off against the Hurricanes Monday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
UAB (1-1) is coming off a 74-38 victory over Jackson State on Tuesday. The Blazers jumped out to a 14-point lead at halftime before cruising to the 36-point victory. Four Blazers reached double figures in scoring, with sophomore guard Jala Harris leading the way with 16 points. Senior guard Amanda Peterson had 12 points thanks to four 3-pointers, while junior guard LaShaunda Pratt chipped in 11 and sophomore guard Amber Jones added 10.
The Cajuns (1-0) opened the 2010-11 season Monday with a 74-67 win against LSU-Shreveport. Mercedes Johnson led Louisiana with 19 points, while Jasmine Barnes grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
Louisiana returns nine letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's 9-22 squad. Johnson led the team with 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season. Barnes finished last season third on the team with 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
UAB leads the series against Louisiana, 1-0. The Blazers and Cajuns have only met once previously. UAB earned an 88-48 win against Louisiana in 1993 at Bartow Arena. Saturday's contest marks the Blazers' first trip to Lafayette.
The Hurricanes (1-1) will face Miami (OH) Saturday prior to Monday's contest against UAB. In Miami's last outing at Nebraska, the Hurricanes fell, 99-85, on Wednesday.
Riquna Williams leads Miami in scoring with 24.5 points a game, while Morgan Stroman has been the leading rebounder at 9.0 boards per game. Shenise Johnson also has been solid for the Hurricanes, shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 21.0 points per game.
Miami returns six letterwinners, including three starters, from last year's 22-14 squad. Williams led the Canes last season with 19.6 points per game, while Johnson wasn't far behind with 19.0 points a game. Miami also will add six newcomers this season.
The Blazers are 2-1 against Miami all-time. The Blazers and Hurricanes met last season and Miami captured its first win against UAB, 70-54, at Bartow Arena. Prior to that, the two teams had not met since 1981 when the Blazers defeated the Hurricanes, 83-71, in Miami. The first meeting between the two teams was in 1980 and UAB won, 88-63, in a contest held at UAB's Bell Gym.
