The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers On Road To Face Southern Miss Sunday
2/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2012
Game Notes 
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB women's basketball team plays its final regular-season road game Sunday with a 2 p.m. CT tipoff at Southern Miss.
The Blazers (18-8, 9-5 C-USA) are looking to bounce back from just their second two-game losing streak of the season, while Southern Miss (11-16, 5-9 C-USA) has won five of its past six outings.
GAME INFORMATION
UAB at Southern Miss
Sunday, Feb. 26 @ 2 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Miss. (Reed Green Coliseum)
LIVE COVERAGE
Live stats and Southern Miss streaming video available at uabsports.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
• UAB has squared off with Southern Miss 51 times in the all-time series, more than any other opponent in program history. The Golden Eagles own a 33-18 lead against the Blazers.
• Southern Miss owns a 20-4 advantage in games played in Hattiesburg. The Blazers' most recent win at Reed Green Coliseum came by a 49-46 decision on Jan. 15, 2010.
• UAB has won four of the past five meetings in the series, but Southern Miss won the seven previous contests. • The teams met earlier this season on Jan. 29 in Birmingham with UAB overcoming a 19-point first-half deficit for a 65-59 win. Karisma Chapman scored a career-high 25 points in the Blazer win.
ABOUT THE BLAZERS
UAB broke out of a recent scoring slump with 41 points in the second half Thursday at Memphis but suffered a 71-56 road loss to the Tigers for its third defeat in the past four games. The Blazers head to Hattiesburg, Miss., at 18-8 overall and 9-5 in Conference USA, needing just one win to lock up at least a share of third place in the league.
The Blazers, which rank third in the nation in scoring defense at just 48.7 points per game, gave up 70 points for just the second time this season in the loss to Memphis.
Amber Jones (13.4 ppg) and Karisma Chapman (13.2 ppg) lead the Blazers in scoring, while LaShaunda Pratt (11.1) also averages double figures.
SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss is one of the hottest teams in Conference USA, having won five of its past six games after an 0-8 start to league play. The Lady Eagles improved to 11-16 (5-9 C-USA) Thursday with a 63-55 win at Marshall.
Jamierra Faulker leads Southern Miss offensively, ranking third in C-USA with 16.3 points per game and first with 7.4 assists per contest. Tanecka Carey averages 15.7 points and tops the team with an average of 6.0 rebounds.
For the season, Southern Miss is allowing 66.3 points per game while scoring 60.7 on average. The Lady Eagles turn the ball over 21.1 times per game, more than any other team in the league.
GETTING STARTED
• UAB (18-8, 9-5 C-USA) enters Sunday's game versus Southern Miss in third place in the conference standings, trailing only UTEP (13-0) and Memphis (11-3).
• The Blazers can lock up at least a share of third place in C-USA with one more win.
• UAB is the top team in Conference USA and third nationally in scoring defense, surrendering just 48.7 points per game for the season. The Blazers also rank 30th in the nation in blocks per game (5.0) and 29th in the country in turnover margin (+4.3).
• The Blazers have three players in the top 10 of the C-USA rankings for 3-point shooting percentage: Kelsie Weynand (.325, 5th), Amber Jones (.325, 6th) and LaShaunda Pratt (.320, 8th). Weynand is the league's fourth-best 3-point shooter in conference games at 36.8 percent.
• UAB has four players ranked among the top 11 in C-USA in blocks per game -- Meagan Brown (1.3, 7th), TaRonda Randall (1.2, 8th), Michaelea Kleist (1.0, 9th) and Karisma Chapman (1.0, 11th).
• Senior center Meagan Brown moved solo possession of second place on UAB's all-time blocks list Thursday at Memphis. She now has 109 blocks for her career.
• The Blazers have a 16-2 record when holding opponents to fewer than 50 points, but those two losses have come in the past four games (41-39 at UCF and 40-37 to Marshall).
• After a 20-15 record a year ago, UAB has an 18-8 mark so far in 2011-12. Two more wins would give the Blazers consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1999-2000 (21-13) and 2000-01 (20-11).
• The Blazers have forced 112 more turnovers than their opponents this year and are out-scoring opponents in points of turnovers by more than five per game (17.6-12.4).
• UAB's trio of junior guard Amber Jones (13.4 ppg), sophomore forward Karisma Chapman (13.2 ppg) and senior guard LaShaunda Pratt (11.1 ppg) has accounted for 67.6 percent of the Blazers' scoring with 968 of the team's 1,431 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 Tulsa. Jones now has 1,093 career points and is just the 13th Blazer ever to reach the 1,000-point mark before her senior season.
• 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 18-8, 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 this year tied for the best in its C-USA history with the 1995-96 and 2006-07 teams. The Blazers are now 9-5 in league play.
NO. 3 SCORING DEFENSE
UAB's scoring defense average ranks as the third best in the country. The Blazers have surrendered just 48.7 points per contest and trail only Connecticut (45.0) and Hampton (48.3) in the latest NCAA statistics.
UAB has held 18 of its 26 opponents to 47 points or fewer and kept four -- Western Kentucky, Hampton, Clemson and East Carolina -- below 40 points. The 36 points scored Nov. 26 by Western Kentucky and Dec. 30 by Clemson matched the fewest allowed by the Blazers since the 1994-95 season.
RECORD-BREAKING DEFENSIVE PACE
UAB is on pace to shatter its own school and Conference USA records for scoring defense by a large margin. Last season, the Blazers set school and league marks by allowing just 55.3 points per game, good for 25th-best in the nation. Their 56.1 points allowed per game in conference play also set a C-USA record.
This year, UAB is allowing only 48.7 points per game (third in the nation), and the Blazers have allowed their 14 conference opponents an average of 49.4 points per contest.
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 457-322 for the season in points off turnovers. That is an average differential of more than five points per game (17.6-12.4).
The Blazers have scored more than 20 points off turnovers in a game nine times this season, including a season-best 30 points off turnovers in the win over Houston (1/15). In four of its eight losses, UAB has scored 11 points or fewer off turnovers.
REBOUNDING IS KEY
In four of UAB's five Conference USA losses, the Blazers have been out-rebounded by a significant margin. UAB held a 42-34 advantage on the boards in a losing effort to Marshall (2/19) but has been out-rebounded by an average of 42.8 to 29.0 in the other four. Here is a game-by-game look at the rebounding differential in those four losses:
Opponent (Date) Reb. Deficit Score
Tulane (1/19) 39-18 L, 52-41
Memphis (1/22) 45-29 L, 70-59
UCF (2/12) 41-34 L, 41-39
Memphis (2/23) 46-35 L, 71-56
RARE LOSSES
In UAB's losses to UCF (2/12) and Marshall (2/19), it only allowed a combined 81 points, but it only scored a combined 76 points. UAB suffered a 41-39 loss at UCF and dropped a 40-37 decision against Marshall.
The 40 points and 41 points allowed are the fewest the Blazers have surrendered in a losing effort in program history. The previous low came in the 1986-87 season when the Blazers allowed just 44 points in a 44-43 loss to UAH.
Additionally, the 77 combined points in the Marshall game are the lowest total ever for a UAB contest, while the 80 combined points in the UCF game are the third-fewest in program history.
JONES JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
With 11 points Jan. 26 against Tulsa, junior guard Amber Jones surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for her career. She enters Sunday's contest at Southern Miss with 1,093 career points.
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.
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 13.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 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 to close her rookie campaign with a scoring average of 8.0 points per game. This year, Chapman has reached double-figure scoring 21 times in the Blazers' 26 contests.
WEYNAND EMERGING
Kelsie Weynand has developed into more of a scoring threat for UAB recently. The JUCO transfer set back-to-back season-highs with 10 points at Marshall (2/5) and 11 against East Carolina (2/9). She is scoring 7.4 points per game over her past five contests after averaging 3.8 over her first 17 appearances.
Weynand now ranks fourth in C-USA in 3-point percentage in league games only at 36.8 percent. She has knocked down 13 of 29 shots in her past five games, including 9 of 23 from beyond the arc.
BLOCK PARTY
The second-best shot-blocking team in Conference USA, the Blazers are swatting 5.0 shots per game (ranked 30th in the nation). UAB is more than a block and a half per game ahead of school-record pace (3.4 per game in 1998-99). Last year's team is second in school annals with 3.3 blocks per contest.
Four Blazers rank in the top 11 in C-USA in blocks per game: Meagan Brown (1.3, 7th), TaRonda Randall (1.2, 8th), Michaelea Kleist (1.0, 9th) and Karisma Chapman (1.0, 11th).
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 Tulsa (2/10/11).
BROWN'S BLOCKS
With 35 blocked shots this season, senior center Meagan Brown has moved into second place on UAB's all-time list with 109 for her career. She surpassed the 108 of Mary Morning (1993-97) and now trails only Deanna Jackson (1998-2002), who finished her Blazer career with 125. Brown already owns the single-season school record after swatting 49 shots last season.
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 13.4 points per game. She has led UAB in scoring 12 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.
JONES IMPROVING 3-POINT PCT.
Amber Jones has shown 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 risen to 32.4 (36-for-111), which ranks sixth in Conference USA.
PRATT FROM LONG RANGE
LaShaunda Pratt ranks second in Conference USA with 1.9 made 3-pointers per game and ninth in 3-point percentage (.320). More than half of Pratt's field goal attempts this season (153 of 290) have come from behind the 3-point line.
Pratt has hit at least three treys in nine games this season. She hit five 3-pointers on her way to a career-best 24 points earlier this season at McNeese State (11/19) and topped that at UNCG (12/6) when she hit a career-best six 3-pointers in just seven attempts.
KLEIST'S CONTRIBUTIONS
Junior forward Michaelea Kleist, who came off the bench for the first three games, has started 22 of the past 23.
Kleist, a transfer from Volunteer State CC, has proven to be a defensive presence and one of the team's top rebounders. She ranks second on the team in rebounds with 5.5 per game and third in blocks with 1.0 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 Khalilah Watson and Amber Jones have combined for a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (150 assists, 123 turnovers) this year.
Jones (72 assists, 65 turnovers) and Watson (78 assists, 58 turnovers) have both made strides this year after posting more turnovers than assists a season ago. Watson ranks fourth in C-USA in assist to turnover ratio (1.3 to 1), while Jones ranks fourth in league games only (1.3 to 1).
DOING DAMAGE FROM DOWNTOWN
UAB averages 5.4 3-pointers per game to rank first in C-USA. The Blazers also lead the league in 3-point attempts with 19.3 per game. UAB knocked down 13 in a single contest against UNCG (12/6), including six by LaShaunda Pratt. Three Blazers rank in the top 10 in the league in 3-point percentage: Kelsie Weynand (.325, 5th), Amber Jones (.324, 6th) and Pratt (.320, 8th).
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.
FORCING TURNOVERS
UAB has created 112 more turnovers than its opponents (506-394) 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 East Tennessee State (11/18) and Morehead State (11/30).
The Blazers have currently forced their opponents into double-digit turnovers in 150 straight games. The last time a UAB opponent turned the ball over fewer than 10 times was Hartford (eight) on Nov. 23, 2007.
EARNING SECOND CHANCES
Through 26 games this season, UAB has snagged 383 offensive rebounds (14.7 per game) compared to 292 (11.2 per game) for its opponents. The Blazers have posted double-digit offensive boards in every game but three and reached 20 offensive boards five times -- 23 against Southern Miss (1/29) and Alabama A&M (12/15), 22 at Clemson (12/30), 21 against Marshall (2/19) and 20 at McNeese State (11/19).
Sophomore forward Karisma Chapman leads the team in offensive rebounds, having snagged 62 of her 130 boards on the offensive end.
GETTING MORE SHOTS
UAB's prowess at forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds has led to more scoring opportunities for the Blazers. Through 26 games, UAB has attempted 193 more shots (1,433-1,240) than its opponents for an average of 7.4 more attempts per game. In conference play, the Blazers are attempting 5.4 more shots per game than their opponents.
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
UAB has been the league's best at taking care of the basketball. The Blazers were ranked in the top 10 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game early this season. They currently lead C-USA in fewest giveaways and rank 51st nationally at 15.2 per game.
UAB recorded 10 or fewer turnovers four times in its first six games of the season, including just six in the season opener against Chattanooga (11/11) and seven against Western Kentucky (11/26).
The six turnovers against Chattanooga were the second-fewest by a UAB team in Audra Smith's eight-year tenure at the school and the fewest for the Blazers since they gave the ball away just five times against Tulsa on Feb. 12, 2009.
