The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Basketball Welcomes Southern Miss Sunday
2/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2011
UAB-Southern Miss Game Notes | Gametracker | Watch
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team will look for its fourth win in a row on Sunday when it hosts the Southern Miss Lady Eagles. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Bartow Arena.
Southern Miss leads the series, 33-16. In the first meeting this season, the Lady Eagles captured a 46-43 win in Hattiesburg on Jan. 6. UAB is 9-13 against Southern Miss in Birmingham, including a 7-11 record at Bartow Arena. UAB swept the series last season for the first time since 2001, winning in Hattiesburg, 49-46, and in Birmingham, 66-60.
UAB (12-11, 4-6 C-USA) has won three straight games, including a 59-36 victory over Tulsa in the Blazers' last outing on Thursday. The Blazers have forced their opponents into double-digit turnovers in 111 consecutive games. The last time a UAB opponent turned the ball over less than 10 times was Hartford (8) on Nov. 23, 2007. The streak is the 10th-longest in the nation.
Freshman forward Karisma Chapman was outstanding against Tulsa, scoring a career-high 20 points and adding a career-best four blocked shots, helping UAB to a school-record 11 blocks in the contest. Sophomore guard Amber Jones leads the team with 10.9 points per game, while junior center Meagan Brown tops the Blazers in rebounding at 5.6 boards per game. Freshman forward Karisma Chapman was outstanding against Tulsa, scoring a career-high 20 points and adding a career-best four blocked shots.
The Lady Eagles (9-14, 4-6 C-USA) have been on a rollercoaster through conference play since meeting UAB in the league opener. After Southern Miss earned a 46-43 win over the Blazers to open C-USA play, the Lady Eagles dropped their next three contests. They bounced back, however, winning three straight, including a pair of overtime victories. Since then, though, the Lady Eagles have hit a three-game skid, falling at East Carolina, 91-67, in their last outing on Thursday.
Perhaps part of the reason for Southern Miss' recent struggles is the absence of leading-scorer Rachel Vigers. Vigers, averaging 16.9 points per game, has missed the last three contests. Along with Vigers, Tanesha Washington (13.6) and Jamierra Faulkner (12.5) also average double-figures for the Lady Eagles. Washington tops the team in rebounding as well at 9.0 boards per game.
