The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Home To Face SMU Thursday
2/15/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 15, 2012
Game Notes 
| GameTracker | Watch Live
The Blazers (17-6, 8-3 C-
GAME INFORMATION
UAB vs. SMU
Thursday, Feb. 16 @ 7 p.m. CT
LIVE COVERAGE
Gametracker live stats and Blazer Vision streaming video available at uabsports.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
• UAB owns a 5-3 record all-time against SMU with seven of the previous eight meetings coming since the Mustangs joined Conference
• The Blazers are 2-1 against SMU in
• UAB has won three in a row against SMU over the past two seasons.
• The teams played last year in
ABOUT THE BLAZERS
UAB welcomes SMU to
The Blazers continue to rank second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 48.2 points per game. The UCF game marked the 16th time the Blazers have held an opponent to fewer than 50 points but the first time they lost such a game.
Amber Jones scored a game-high 15 points at UCF and leads UAB with an average of 13.9 points per game. Karisma Chapman (13.5) and LaShaunda Pratt (11.1) are also averaging double figures.
SCOUTING SMU
SMU is coming off a 74-67 loss to Southern Miss on Sunday and comes to
Five SMU players average more than eight points per game, led by Akil Simpson (11.0) and Alisha Filmore (10.9). Simpson leads C-USA in field goal percentage at 54.7 percent. SMU is scoring 60.4 points per game on average and allowing 59.1. The Mustangs are shooting nearly the same percentage as their opponents at 38.4 percent while allowing 38.5 percent shooting.
GETTING STARTED
• Sunday's 41-39 defeat at UCF marked the Blazers' first loss of the season when surrendering fewer than 50 points. The Blazers are now 15-1 when holding opponents under 50.
• UAB enters Thursday's game versus SMU in third place in the conference standings at 8-3 in league play, trailing only UTEP (11-0) and
• UAB is the top team in Conference
• UAB's 17-5 start through 22 games matched the best ever for UAB, while the team's 8-2 record to open league play tied the best in its C-USA history. The Blazers are now 17-6 (8-3 C-
• Dating back to last season, UAB has won 21 of its past 27 games and 28 of its past 38 contests.
• The Blazers now have three players in the top six of the C-USA rankings for 3-point shooting percentage: Kelsie Weynand (.338, 4th), Amber Jones (.333, 5th) and LaShaunda Pratt (.329, 6th). Weynand is the league's top 3-point shooter in conference games at 41.1 percent.
• UAB has four players ranked among the top 12 in C-USA in blocks per game -- Meagan Brown (1.3, 7th), TaRonda Randall (1.2, 8th), Michaelea Kleist (1.1, 9th) and Karisma Chapman (0.9, T-12th).
• Senior center Meagan Brown ranks third all-time at UAB with 104 career blocks and is just four blocks away from matching second place on the list.
• The Blazers have forced 98 more turnovers than their opponents this year and are out-scoring opponents in points of turnovers by more than five per game (17.7-12.5).
• UAB's trio of junior guard Amber Jones (13.9 ppg), sophomore forward Karisma Chapman (13.5 ppg) and senior guard LaShaunda Pratt (11.1 ppg) has accounted for 67.6 percent of the Blazers' scoring with 871 of the team's 1,288 points on the year.
• Junior guard Amber Jones became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points with her 11-point effort Jan. 26 at
• UAB put an eight-game winning streak together from Nov. 25-Dec. 30. It was UAB's longest winning streak in 17 years and just the sixth streak of at least eight games in program history.
TOP-NOTCH START
UAB is now 17-6, but its 17-5 record through 22 games matched the best start in program history, joining the 1991-92 and 1993-94 teams. The 1991-92 squad went on to a 23-5 start before finishing with a 24-8 record and a WNIT appearance. The 1993-94 group also went on to start 23-5 before finishing 23-6 and playing in the NCAA tournament.
UAB's 8-2 league start tied for the best in its C-USA history with the 1995-96 and 2006-07 teams. The Blazers are now 8-3 in league play.
NO. 2 SCORING DEFENSE
UAB climbed another spot in the national defensive statistics last week. The Blazers have surrendered just 48.2 points per contest and now rank second in the country in scoring defense in the latest NCAA statistics (2/13), trailing only Connecticut.
UAB has held 16 of its 23 opponents to 47 points or fewer and kept four -- Western Kentucky, Hampton, Clemson and
HISTORIC NUMBERS
UAB is on pace to break its own Conference
This year, UAB is allowing only 48.2 points per game (second in the nation), and the Blazers have allowed their 11 conference opponents an average of 48.6 points per contest.
JONES JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
With 11 points Jan. 26 against
Jones became the 25th 1,000-point scorer in program history and the 13th to accomplish the feat before her senior season.
Until Jones passed the mark, former Blazer Amanda Peterson was the most recent UAB player to reach 1,000 points, surpassing the mark last season in her senior campaign.
WEYNAND EMERGING
Kelsie Weynand has developed into more of a scoring threat for UAB over the past three games. The JUCO transfer set back-to-back season-highs with 10 points at
Weynand now leads C-USA in 3-point percentage in league games only at 41.1 percent. She has knocked down 10 of 18 shots in the past three games, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.
REBOUNDING IS KEY
In a large way, rebounding has been the determining factor in UAB's won-loss record in conference play. The Blazers have held a 38.9 to 36.0 lead in rebounding average over their eight wins but have been out-rebounded by an average of 41.7 to 27.0 in their three losses.
UAB was out-rebounded, 39-18, in a 52-41 loss at Tulane (Jan. 19), faced a 45-29 rebounding disparity in a 70-59 home defeat to
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS
UAB has forced a high number of turnovers this year and been able to cash them in for points on the other end. The Blazers have out-scored their opponents 406-287 for the season in points off turnovers. That is an average differential of more than five points per game (17.7-12.5).
The Blazers have scored more than 20 points off turnovers in a game eight times this season, including a season-best 30 points off turnovers in the win over
BLOCK PARTY
The second-best shot-blocking team in Conference
Four Blazers rank in the top 12 in C-USA in blocks per game: Meagan Brown (1.3, 7th), TaRonda Randall (1.2, 8th), Michaelea Kleist (1.1, 9th) and Karisma Chapman (0.9, T-12th).
SWAT TEAM
UAB set a single-game school record with 12 blocked shots in the Jan. 12 win over UCF. The Blazers topped the previous best mark of 11, set in last season's home victory over
Meagan Brown had four of those blocks, including the record breaker with 1:50 to play. Karisma Chapman and LaShaunda Pratt had three each, while Michaelea Kleist and TaRonda Randall added one apiece.
BROWN'S BLOCKS
Meagan Brown reached a milestone with her 100th career blocked shot Jan. 22 against
FROSH SENSATION NOW SUPER SOPH
Sophomore forward Karisma Chapman is continuing to develop after a 2010-11 season in which she was a C-USA All-Freshman Team selection. Chapman is averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. She logged her third career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds at UNCG (12/6).
Last year, Chapman finished the season 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 in her rookie campaign.
JONES PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Junior guard Amber Jones continues to be one of the top scoring threats for UAB, ranking first on the team with an average of 13.9 points per game. She has led UAB in scoring 11 times, including Dec. 6 at UNCG when she erupted for a career-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Jones returned as UAB's top scorer this season after averaging 12.5 points per game last year as a sophomore. She 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 and 17.5 over the final six.
PRATT FROM
Pratt has hit at least three treys in eight games this season. She hit five 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 24 points earlier this season at
JONES IMPROVING 3-POINT PCT.
Amber Jones has shown vast improvement from 3-point range this season. She entered her junior year with 72 treys over her first two seasons but was just a 27.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc for her career.
This season, Jones' 3-point percentage has jumped to 33.0 (32-for-96), which ranks fifth in Conference
KLEIST'S CONTRIBUTIONS
Junior forward Michaelea Kleist, who came off the bench for the first three games, has now started 20 contests in a row.
Kleist, a transfer from Volunteer State CC, has proven to be a defensive presence and one of the team's top rebounders. She ranks third on the team in blocks with 1.1 per game and second in rebounds with 5.7 per outing. Kleist's five blocked shots against UNCG (12/6) are the most by a UAB player this season.
GOOD GUARD PLAY
UAB's trio of primary ballhandlers -- Khalilah Watson, Amber Jones and LaShaunda Pratt -- has combined for a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (173 assists, 165 turnovers) this year.
Jones (66 assists, 61 turnovers) and Watson (66 assists, 50 turnovers) have both made strides this year after posting more turnovers than assists a season ago. For much of the season, either Watson or Jones has been ranked among the best in Conference
DOING DAMAGE FROM DOWNTOWN
UAB averages 5.6 3-pointers per game as a team to rank first in Conference
Last season, UAB topped C-USA in 3-pointers per game, as well. The Blazers averaged a league-leading 6.2 treys per contest, knocking down 216 for the season, the second-most in UAB history and just three shy of the 2006-07 school-record total of 219. Graduated guard Amanda Peterson set a school and C-USA record with 103 treys a year ago.
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
UAB has been the league's best at taking care of the basketball. The Blazers were in the top 10 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game early this season. They are currently tied for tops in C-USA (with
UAB recorded 10 or fewer turnovers four times in its first six games of the season, including just six in the season opener against
The six turnovers against
FORCING TURNOVERS
UAB has created 98 more turnovers than its opponents (450-352) this year. Last year, the team forced 115 more turnovers than they committed (644-529).
After forcing double-digit turnovers in all 35 games last season, UAB has caused at least 10 turnovers in every game this year, including 28 against
The Blazers have currently forced their opponents into double-digit turnovers in 146 straight games. The last time a UAB opponent turned the ball over fewer than 10 times was
EARNING SECOND CHANCES
Through 22 games this season, UAB has snagged 339 offensive rebounds (14.7 per game) compared to 264 (11.5 per game) for its opponents. The Blazers have posted double-digit offensive boards in every game but two and reached 20 offensive rebounds four times -- 23 against Southern Miss (1/29) and Alabama A&M (12/15), 22 at Clemson (12/30) and 20 at
Senior center Meagan Brown has logged a team-high 57 offensive boards, while sophomore forward Karisma Chapman has snagged nearly half of her rebounds (56 of 117) on the offensive glass.
GETTING MORE SHOTS
UAB's prowess at forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds has led to more scoring opportunities for the Blazers. Through 23 games, UAB has attempted 161 more shots (1,269-1,108) than its opponents for an average of 7.0 more attempts per game.
