The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Louisiana
Solid Defense Lifts UAB to 58-46 Win Over Louisiana
11/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2010
LAFAYETTE, La. -- Sophomore guard Jala Harris scored 22 points and junior center Meagan Brown added a career-best 10 points as the UAB women's basketball team knocked off Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns, 58-46, on Saturday afternoon at the Earl K. Long Gym.
"I felt like our defense is what really got us going, and that's what I stressed to them before the game," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "I told them `You've got to bring your defense and rebounding,' and we did that today. Even though we had a stretch where we were cold offensively, we were able to contain them defensively, and you have to be able to do that on the road."
UAB sophomore guard Khalilah Watson also chipped in a career-high nine points as UAB improves to 2-1 on the season while Louisiana falls to 1-1. Watson grabbed a game-best eight rebounds and Brown collected six boards.
"I was very proud of Meagan Brown," Smith said. "After the last game, I had told her how important it was for her to be a factor and to get her hands ready because she was going to have a lot of scoring opportunities not only from offensive rebounds, but from our guard penetration. She was very solid for us today.
"Khalilah Watson did a good job of playing her role as a fascilitator, getting everyone involved in the offense and scoring within herself. She did a great job on the glass and did exactly what we needed from her."
While Louisiana's Mercedes Johnson had the hot hand for the Cajuns in the first half with 11 points, the Blazer defense clamped down and allowed her just four points in the second half. The Cajuns, however, found another option in Danyell Oliver, who scored all 17 of her points in the second half.
UAB led almost the entire game, taking a 7-6 advantage at the 16:27 mark and never relinquishing the lead for the rest of the contest. Although the Cajuns trailed by five with 5:38 remaining, the Blazers used a 14-5 run to stretch the lead to 14 points at the break and UAB headed to the locker room with a 32-18 advantage.
The Green and Gold opened up a 20-point lead thanks to a 6-0 run to begin the second half. The Blazers continued to stay hot until the 8:40 mark when the Cajuns held UAB scoreless for a five-minute stretch. UAB's lead dwindled to eight points during the drought, but a layup by junior guard Miteka Trueheart at the 3:23 mark got the Blazers back on track.
Harris and senior guard Amanda Peterson combined to hit five of six free throws in the final 38 seconds to seal UAB's 12-point victory.
The Blazers held the Cajuns to 33 percent shooting and owned a 41-30 advantage on the glass.
UAB's road trip continues Monday with a contest at Miami. The Blazers and Hurricanes tip off at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
