The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Faces SMU in C-USA Quarterfinals Tuesday
3/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 9, 2010
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TULSA, Okla. -- After knocking off 11th-seeded Tulsa in the opening round of the Conference USA Championship, No. 6 seed UAB advances to face the No. 3 seed SMU Mustangs in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CST at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
The series between UAB and SMU is tied at three games apiece. The Blazers won the last outing, 62-60, in Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 7. It was the conference opener for both teams. In the contest, UAB senior forward Tamika Dukes posted her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while C-USA Freshman of the Year Jala Harris tallied 21 points.
Prior to the win earlier this season, UAB had lost two straight to SMU.
UAB (15-14, 8-8 C-USA) defeated host Tulsa, 52-45, on Monday to advance to the quarterfinals. Dukes led the Blazers with her third double-double of the season, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds. She is the team's leading rebounder with 7.0 boards a game and the second-leading scorer at 12.7 points a game behind Harris' 16.0 points a game.
SMU (20-9) earned the No. 3 seed for the C-USA Championship after finishing 10-6 in the conference. The Mustangs finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, knocking off Tulsa, 71-52, on March 3 in their season finale.
The Mustangs are led by Brittany Gilliam with 15.1 points a game. Jillian Samuels and Christine Elliott are also averaging double figures at 11.5 and 11.0, respectively. Elliott leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.8 boards a game.
