The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulsa
Blazers' Block Party Leads To 59-36 Win Over Tulsa
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team collected a school-record 11 blocks en route to a 59-36 win over Tulsa on Thursday night at Bartow Arena. Freshman forward Karisma Chapman led the Blazers with a career-high 20 points while chipping in a career-best four blocks and three steals.
"I'm really proud of the way different players are stepping up each night," UAB head coach Audra Smith said. "I can't say enough about Karisma. Each game she grows leaps and bounds and just keeps getting better."
Junior center Meagan Brown added five blocks, matching her career-high which she set against Belmont in December. It also ties the record for most blocks by a Blazer in a game.
In addition to Brown and Chapman, UAB (12-11, 4-6 C-USA) had solid contributions from junior guard LaShaunda Pratt and freshman guard Amber Jones. Pratt finished the contest with 13 points, four steals and an assist, while Jones had 11 points, two assists and a steal.
UAB held Tulsa (5-13, 1-9 C-USA) to just 36 points, the fewest points for a team in a league game this season. The Golden Hurricane only scored 15 points in the second half, going the final 9:39 without a field goal.
"The one thing we hang our hats on is our defense," Smith said. "For us to hold a team to 36 points is good. And to hold a team to just 15 points in a half is really good. In order for us to keep growing and keep improving our record, we have to keep focusing on the defensive end."
The Blazers forced 26 turnovers in the contest and capitalized on the takeaways for 27 points, compared to Tulsa's three points off 10 UAB turnovers.
Although UAB led by as many as 23 in the game, the Blazers got off to a slow start, falling behind 8-0 to open the contest. Pratt and Chapman quickly broke the drought with back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 8-6. UAB continued to trail Tulsa, however, until the 6:19 mark in the first half when Pratt knocked down a jumper to give UAB its first lead at 19-18. The Blazers would go on to take a 23-21 lead into halftime.
After shooting just 27 percent in the first half, UAB heated up in the second half, hitting at a 50 percent clip. Trailing by one with 14:14 to play, the Blazers found their rhythm when Jones hit a jumper and senior guard Amanda Peterson sank a pair of triples. Chapman made it three straight 3-pointers to give UAB a 10-point lead with 10:45 remaining.
UAB continued to cruise after that, forcing six turnovers in the final 9:39 as Tulsa's only two points during the span came on a pair of free throws.
The Blazers will look to make it four wins in a row on Sunday when they host the Southern Miss Lady Eagles. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT at Bartow Arena.
