UAB Set For Two Preseason WNIT Consolation Games

Nov. 17, 2011

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team continues play in the Preseason WNIT with a pair of consolation games this weekend on the campus of McNeese State in Lake Charles, La.

The Blazers open the weekend Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT with a matchup between McNeese State and Manhattan to follow. The winners and losers of Friday's games will be paired against each other on Saturday with games scheduled for Noon and 2 p.m. CT.  Whichever contest McNeese State is involved in on Saturday will be the early game.

Game Information
Friday, Nov. 18 (5:30 p.m. CT)
UAB vs. East Tennessee State
Burton Coliseum (Lake Charles, La.)

Saturday, Nov. 19 (Noon or 2 p.m. CT)
UAB vs. McNeese State or Manhattan
Burton Coliseum (Lake Charles, La.)

Live Coverage
Live video and live stats available online at www.mcneesesports.com

Series Information (East Tennessee State)
 UAB has met East Tennessee State more than any other team at this weekend's consolation site. The Blazers and Lady Bucs have split six previous meetings but haven't played since the 1995-96 season.

 ETSU won the most recent meeting, 84-80, on a neutral floor on Dec. 17, 1995. UAB had won the previous three games with one victory over the Lady Bucs in the 1984-85 season and two in 1985-86.

Series Information (McNeese State)
 UAB and McNeese State have met once previously with the Blazers earning a 56-53 neutral-site victory over the Cowgirls in 2008 at the Samford Classic. TaRonda Randall is the only current Blazer who played in that game for UAB.

Series Information (Manhattan)      
 UAB is 2-0 all-time against Manhattan, recording road wins against the Jaspers in the 1994-95 season and the 2010-11 campaign.

 UAB and Manhattan met last season in the semifinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational with the Blazers posting a 62-43 victory in Manhattan.

 The Blazers matched a school record with 14 3-pointers in last year's meeting as head coach Audra Smith earned her 100th career victory. Former Blazer Amanda Peterson knocked down seven 3's for a game-high 21 points, while current UAB player Amber Jones added a career-best five treys on her way to 19 points.

 If UAB and Manhattan play on Saturday, it would be the second meeting in five games for UAB.

Getting Started         
 UAB played its season opener last week in the first round of the Preseason WNIT at Chattanooga, falling by a score of 65-59. The Blazers led for more than 12 minutes of the second half, but the Lady Mocs -- preseason favorites in the Southern Conference -- took the lead for good with 2:27 to play.

 Junior guard Amber Jones turned in a strong all-around game against Chattanooga with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals while committing only one turnover. Sophomore forward Karisma Chapman tied Jones for game-high honors with 16 points.

 The Blazers' six turnovers against Chattanooga were the fewest by a UAB team since a five-turnover performance versus Tulsa on Feb. 12, 2009.

 UAB returns nine letterwinners this season and five players with significant starting experience.

 The Blazers are coming off their first 20-win season since the 2000-01 campaign after posting a 20-15 record last year.

 UAB closed last season with four consecutive postseason wins (the first three on the road) to claim the 2012 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) title. The Blazers returned home to defeat Cal State Bakersfield in the tournament's championship game.

 Guard Amber Jones returns as the Blazers' top scorer after averaging 12.5 points per game, while UAB also brings back C-USA All-Freshman Team selection Karisma Chapman at forward.

The Preseason WNIT
UAB is playing in the Preseason WNIT for the second time ever and the first time since the 1999-2000 season. The Blazers went 1-1 in that year's event, falling to Nevada by a score of 79-63 in the opening round but rebounding for a 90-70 win over Idaho in their second game.

This year, UAB drew a first-round road game at Chattanooga, where the Blazers suffered a 65-59 loss. They will continue the tournament with this weekend's consolation games on the campus of McNeese State in Lake Charles, La.

About the Blazers
UAB dropped its season-opening game at Chattanooga, but the Blazers entered the 2011-12 campaign riding the momentum of a four-game winning streak that culminated in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) championship last season. The Blazers, which ended the regular season seventh in the Conference USA standings, finished 20-15 overall for their first 20-win season in a decade.

Junior guard Amber Jones is back as the Blazers' top returning scorer after averaging 12.5 points per game a season ago, while sophomore forward Karisma Chapman returns after a Conference USA All-Freshman Team campaign. The Blazers also welcome back senior guard LaShaunda Pratt, who contributed 8.8 points per game a year ago, along with junior guard Khalilah Watson and senior center Meagan Brown, a pair that combined to make 66 starts last season. The Blazers return a total of five players with significant starting experience.

Scouting East Tennessee State
East Tennessee State is coming off an 87-76 home loss to Tennessee Tech in its Preseason WNIT opener. Forward Destiny Mitchell led the Lady Bucs with 22 points of 5-of-13 shooting and 12-of-13 from the foul line, while guard Tarita Gordon scored 21 points off the bench.

Mitchell is the top returning scorer and rebounder for ETSU after averaging 15.5 points and 9.0 boards a season ago. Guard Natalie Pickwell is also back after averaging double-digit scoring last year at 11.7 points per game. The Lady Bucs went 19-12 last year and finished second in the Atlantic Sun with a 15-5 league mark. They were picked to finish second again in the A-Sun preseason media poll.

Scouting McNeese State
McNeese State trimmed a 25-point second-half deficit to single digits but came up short in a 67-59 decision at No. 22 UCLA in its first Preseason WNIT game. Twin guards Ashlynn Baggett (15 pts.) and Caitlyn Baggett (12 pts.) combined for 27 points in the loss, while forward Kendra Wells posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cowgirls finished the 2010-11 season 26-7 (15-1 Southland Conference), winning their conference regular-season and tournament titles and playing in their first NCAA tournament. Ashylnn Bagget led the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game, and Caitlyn Baggett topped the squad with 4.4 assists a game. The Cowgirls were picked to win the Southland once again in the league's preseason poll.

Scouting Manhattan
Manhattan dropped its Preseason WNIT opener at Hartford by a score of 64-45. Forwards Toni-Ann Lawrence and Lindsey Loutsenhizer and guard Monica Roeder scored nine points each for the Jaspers.

Manhattan is coming off a 24-10 season in 2010-11 and a third-place finish in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference at 13-5. The Jaspers were awarded a spot in the postseason WBI and advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated by UAB. Roeder and Loutsenhizer return as the team's top scorers after averaging 9.7 and 9.4 points per game, respectively, a year ago.

The Last Time Out
Karisma Chapman and Amber Jones led all scorers with 16 points for UAB last Friday, but Chattanooga took the lead late and held on for a 65-59 win in the first round of the Preseason WNIT at The McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.

The Blazers turned the ball over just six times and attempted 18 more shots than the Lady Mocs, but Chattanooga's shooting -- the Lady Mocs made good on 52.3 percent of their attempts -- was the difference.

A close game throughout, the Blazers led for more than 12 minutes of the second half but never by more than six points over the preseason Southern Conference favorite. The biggest advantage came at 52-46 with 6:36 to play. But Chattanooga closed the game on a 19-7 run and sealed it with late free throws.

UAB and Chattanooga each made 23 shots and seven 3-pointers, but the Lady Mocs hit 12 of 18 free throws, including 11 of 13 in the second half, compared to 6-of-12 foul shooting for the Blazers. UAB attempted 62 shots to 44 for Chattanooga and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds but could only turn those second chances into five points.

Taking Care of the Basketball
Against Chattanooga in the season opener, UAB committed only six turnovers, the second-fewest in a game in head coach Audra Smith's tenure at the school. It was the fewest turnovers for the Blazers since they gave the ball away just five times against Tulsa on Feb. 12, 2009. It was just the sixth time in the past five seasons that a UAB team has committed single-digit turnovers.

Forcing Turnovers
After forcing double-digit turnovers in all 35 games last season, UAB caused Chattanooga to give the ball away 16 times in the season opener. The Blazers have forced their opponents into double-digit turnovers in 124 straight games. The last time a UAB opponent turned the ball over fewer than 10 times was Hartford (eight) on Nov. 23, 2007.

The 30 turnovers UAB forced against Marshall last season on Jan. 30 were the most in C-USA last year and the most by a UAB team since the 1994 season. The Blazers forced 115 more turnovers than they committed (644-529) in 2010-11.

Now in her Eighth Season
UAB's Audra Smith is beginning her eighth season on the bench for the Blazers after guiding UAB to 20 wins a season ago. She has had great continuity on her staff from the beginning. Assistant coaches Kathy Becker and Daryl Oliver are each in their eighth seasons, as well, while assistant coach Marc Wilson is in his third year with the program. Director of basketball operations Laura Waldrop is in her sixth season on the staff after playing at UAB.

Blazers Add Pair of JUCO Transfers
UAB added a pair of newcomers this season from the junior college ranks. Guard Kelsie Weynand joins the Blazers after an all-region sophomore season at St. Petersburg (Fla.) College, where she averaged 13.4 points per game last year. She played her freshman season two years ago at Columbus State in Georgia. Forward Michaelea Kleist comes to UAB from Volunteer State (Tenn.) Community College, where she averaged 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last year. Kleist began her collegiate career at Eastern Kentucky in 2009-10.

Weynand and Kleist each played in the season opener at Chattanooga with Weynand knocking down a pair of 3-pointers for six points in 19 minutes of action in her Blazer debut.

WBI Champions
UAB was selected to compete in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) and rattled off four consecutive postseason wins to claim the tournament title. The Blazers went on the road for the first three rounds, posting wins at Central Arkansas (58-54), at Elon (59-50) and at Manhattan (62-43) before returning home to defeat Cal State Bakersfield (68-60) in the tournament's championship game. Guard Amber Jones, who averaged 17.5 points over the four games, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Jones Looking for More
Amber Jones is the leading returning scorer for UAB after averaging 12.5 points per game last year as a sophomore. Jones developed into the Blazers' top scorer down the stretch in 2010-11, raising her average to 15.3 points per game over the final 13 contests. The guard was even more productive over the final six games, averaging 17.5 points and shooting 42 percent from the three-point line. She finished the season with 27 double-digit scoring performances and topped the Blazers in scoring in 13 games.

Frosh Sensation Now Soph
The Blazers also welcome back 2010-11 C-USA All-Freshman Team selection Karisma Chapman. The forward didn't score 10 points in a game until late January last season but then closed the year with 10 double-digit scoring performances in the last 17 games. She averaged 10.8 points per game over that stretch and closed the year with an average of 8.0 points to go along with a pair of double-doubles.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics

UAB Set For Two Preseason WNIT Consolation Games

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