The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Houston
UAB Falls Short Against Houston, 74-65
1/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team took a 37-29 lead into halftime, but the Blazers couldn't hang on as the Houston Cougars battled back for a 74-65 victory. Senior guard Amanda Peterson led UAB with 18 points, knocking down four 3-pointers in the first half, while junior guard LaShaunda Pratt added 15 points.
"I felt like this is one we really let slip away," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "We had a golden opportunity if you look at the stat sheet and the way we out-rebounded them on the offensive glass. But we didn't score off those offensive rebounds. This is a very difficult one to swallow."
Sophomore guard Amber Jones also reached double figures for the Blazers with 10 points and sophomore guard LaKenya Lowe tied her career-high of six points as UAB falls to 9-9 overall and 1-4 in Conference USA.
The Cougars (14-4, 5-0 C-USA) were led by guard Porsche Landry with 24 points. Forward Courtney Taylor posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while forward Lesslee Mason scored 13 and guard Brittney Scott added 11.
Despite starting the game 0-of-8 from the field, UAB turned its relentless defense into offense after falling behind by as many as 10 in the first half. The Blazers went on a 12-3 run, sparked by Lowe's first bucket of the game, to cut Houston's lead to one with 6:05 remaining in the early frame. UAB took its first lead of the contest when freshman forward Karisma Chapman sank a 3-pointer to make it 27-25 at the 3:07 mark. UAB quickly stretched the lead to eight thanks to a 9-0 run in the final two minutes. Peterson scored all nine points during the run, including a pair of treys and three free throws.
UAB struggled out of the gate in the second half, committing eight turnovers through the first 10 minutes of the period after turning it over just eight times through the entire first half. Houston went on a 28-6 run over a 9:45 span, stretching the lead to as many as 14. Although the Blazers worked it back down to five with 2:16 remaining in the contest, it was as close as they would get before the Cougars claimed the nine-point victory.
The Blazers hit the road again this weekend, heading to Rice for a Sunday contest. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
