The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Memphis
Blazers Use Balanced Attack To Knock Off Memphis, 65-58
1/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- A trio of Blazers scored double figures, led by Amanda Peterson's 15 points, as the UAB women's basketball team knocked off the Memphis Tigers, 65-58, on Sunday afternoon at Bartow Arena. Sophomore guards Amber Jones and Khalilah Watson added 11 and 10 points, respectively, to help the Blazers earn their first Conference USA win.
Nine Blazers got in on the scoring action, highlighted by Peterson's five 3-pointers, one shy of her season high. Jones scored 10 of her points in the second half and added three assists and two steals. Watson's 10 points tied her career high and she, along with freshman forward Karisma Chapman, led the Blazers with seven rebounds. Junior guard LaShaunda Pratt also was a key contributor, collecting five steals and four assists in addition to her six points.
"The biggest thing for us tonight was that we really defended," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "Our goal every night is to hold the opposition to 55 points, and we held Memphis to 58. I'm just really proud of the way we hung in there and the balanced attack. Everyone that stepped into the game contributed and it was really a team win."
For Memphis (13-5, 2-2 C-USA), guard Brittany Carter led all scorers with 18, while center Jasmine Lee posted a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds.
The Blazers (9-8, 1-3 C-USA) took advantage of 26 Tiger turnovers, scoring 28 points off the giveaways. In comparison, Memphis scored just 12 points off 13 UAB turnovers. Although the Tigers held a 40-37 rebounding advantage, the Blazers edged Memphis on the offensive glass, 17-12, and turned those boards into 23 second-chance points.
"We did a really good job of, as Coach (Marc) Wilson likes to say, hunting the basketball," Smith said. "We were watching and timing our jumps to give ourselves second and third opportunities to score."
UAB trailed by five early in the first half before making a 20-7 run, sparked by a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Nakia McDaniel, that put the Blazers up by eight with 6:03 remaining in the frame. The Blazers hit a pair of layups to end the half and a take a six-point lead into the break.
Both teams got off to a slow start in the second half, as they combined for just two field goals through the first five minutes of the second frame. The Blazers heated up thanks to back-to-back treys from Peterson, stretching the lead back to eight. But Memphis continued to fight, pulling within one at the 4:06 mark before re-taking the lead at 58-57 with 3:17 to play.
Jones quickly answered for the Blazers, hitting back-to-back buckets to put UAB back on top by three. Pratt added a pair of free throws with 37 seconds remaining and Jones drained two of her own down the stretch to seal the seven-point victory.
The Blazers make it two straight at home when they host Houston Thursday. The Blazers and Cougars are set to tip off at 7 p.m. in Bartow Arena.
