The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Clemson
UAB Stifles Clemson In 51-36 Women's Hoops Win
12/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2011
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The UAB women's basketball team held a second straight opponent to fewer than 40 points Friday night as the Blazers ran their winning streak to eight games with a 51-36 road victory over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Junior guard Amber Jones led all players with 17 points for the Blazers (9-2), which continued their best start in 17 years. Senior guard LaShaunda Pratt gave UAB a second double-figure scorer with 11 points, while Nikki Dixon topped Clemson (4-7) with nine.
UAB overcame a slow start on Friday, coming off a holiday break and playing for the first time since Dec. 19. The Blazers dug themselves an early 13-4 deficit before a steal and lay-in by sophomore forward Karisma Chapman got them going. UAB turned steals into baskets on two of the next three possessions as well, keying a 21-4 run to close the half.
After missing its first nine 3-point attempts, UAB hit three of four treys near the end of the half -- including two by Jones -- to open up a 25-17 lead at the break. UAB's defensive effort held Clemson without a field goal for more than 13 minutes spanning the first and second halves as the Blazers built a 31-17 lead five minutes into the second frame.
"We were a little sluggish early, and I reminded them our offense would come if we just focused on what we do well and that's the defense," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "Once we applied more defensive pressure, we got some easy transition buckets and started to settle down a little bit and execute better offensively."
A quick Clemson run cut the UAB advantage to 33-25, but two Pratt 3-pointers out of a timeout pushed the Blazers' lead back to 14 points, and the lead remained double digits the rest of the way.
The Blazers, which limited Hampton to 38 points in their last outing, have now held three opponents this season below the 40-point mark, and no opponent during the current eight-game winning streak has scored more than 47.
UAB out-rebounded Clemson 51-39, including 22-13 on the offensive glass. Senior post player TaRonda Randall grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, while fellow senior center Meagan Brown scored seven points and pulled in eight boards as the duo gave UAB an inside presence. Pratt also added eight rebounds.
"Two kids that made a huge impact tonight were TaRonda Randall and Meagan Brown," Smith said. "We need them to continue to do what they're going, and that's controlling the boards, getting on the offensive glass and scoring close to the basket."
The defense and rebounding effort helped UAB overcome a poor free-throw shooting performance. Neither team shot well from the foul line as they combined to make just 16 of 47 attempts.
Offensively, UAB tallied 14 assists on its 18 made baskets. Chapman dished out a career-best five helpers, while Jones and Pratt finished with four each.
The Blazers' eight-game winning streak is their longest since the 1994-95 season and is tied for the fifth-longest in program history. The 9-2 record matches the third-best start to a season through 11 games in UAB annals.
UAB will stay on the road and travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on Florida A&M on Monday in its final non-conference game. The team will then return to Birmingham for its Conference USA opener Jan. 5 against Rice.
