The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Rice
UAB Falls to Rice, 72-58
2/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2010
HOUSTON -- The Rice Owls jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead before going on to post a 72-58 win over the UAB Blazers at Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore forward Jackie Stanley recorded a double-double to lead the Owls with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
"We just came out flat and got ourselves in a hole early," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "We made a run in the second half to get it back down to seven, but we expended so much energy getting to that point that we didn't have the energy to get over the hump."
The Blazers fall below .500 for the first time since Dec. 30 at 10-11 and 4-5 in Conference USA, while Rice improves to 11-11 and 5-4 in C-USA.
Freshman guard Jala Harris' 19 points paced the Blazers, marking her 16th double-digit game of the season. Harris also dished out four assists and had two steals in the contest. Sophomore forward Shelly Breaux added a season-high nine points, while senior forward Erica Simpson matched her season-high with a team-leading seven rebounds.
Rice shot 43.5 percent from the field, while UAB shot 38.7 percent. Although the two teams were even at 40 rebounds apiece, the Blazers owned a 15-11 advantage on the offensive glass, earning them a 15-9 edge in second-chance points. UAB's bench outscored Rice's, 37-9, and the Blazers also held a 32-24 advantage in the paint. The Owls had three fewer turnovers than the Blazers (11-14) and produced 16 points off turnovers to UAB's 11.
The Owls led by as many as 18 in the first half before UAB went on a 16-4 run to cut Rice's lead to six with 3:10 to go in the period. Another spurt from the Owls widened the margin to 14 in the final seconds, but Harris' 3-pointer from midcourt at the buzzer cut Rice's lead to 41-30 at the break.
Trailing 55-41 with 12:24 left in the game, the Blazers went on a 10-3 run to trim the Owls' lead to seven at the 8:01 mark. That was as close as UAB would get, as Rice reeled off 12 unanswered points for a 19-point advantage, the largest of the game, before earning the 14-point victory.
UAB looks to end the five-game skid as it returns home for a two-game stint this weekend, beginning with UCF on Friday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and it will be the team's annual Pink Zone game as the Blazers join the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in raising awareness for breast cancer.
