The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers On Road For Sunday Meeting With Herd
2/4/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2012
Game Notes 
| GameTracker | Watch Live
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- After a week off, the UAB women's basketball team returns to action Sunday afternoon at Marshall as the second half of conference play gets underway. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The Blazers (15-5, 6-2 C-USA), which sit in a second-place tie in the Conference USA standings, have been off since a come-from-behind victory last Sunday over Southern Miss. Marshall (13-8, 4-4 C-USA) has cooled off after a hot start but posted a home win over Rice on Thursday in its most recent outing.
GAME INFORMATION
UAB at Marshall
Sunday, Feb. 5 @ 1 p.m. ET
Huntington, W. Va. (Cam Henderson Center)
LIVE COVERAGE
Gametracker live stats and Marshall streaming video available at uabsports.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
• UAB trails 8-7 in the all-time series against Marshall with 14 of the previous 15 meetings coming since Marshall joined Conference USA for the 2005-06 season.
• The Blazers are 2-4 all-time in Huntington, W. Va., with their most recent road win over Marshall coming with a 60-48 victory on Feb. 23, 2008.
• UAB has won three of the past four meetings against Marshall after losing the previous four in a row.
• The teams played three times last year: UAB won in Birmingham, 74-46 (1/30/11), lost in Huntington, 58-57 (2/17/11), and won in the Conference USA tournament in El Paso, Texas, 56-45 (3/9/11).
ABOUT THE BLAZERS
UAB returns to game action for the first time in a week with Sunday's matchup at Marshall. The Blazers overcame a 19-point first-half deficit for a 65-59 win over Southern Miss last Sunday before having their off week in league play. At 6-2 in conference play (15-5 overall), UAB is tied for second in the league standings.
Karisma Chapman scored a career-high 25 points in the win over the Golden Eagles and leads UAB with 14.2 points per game. Amber Jones (13.9) and LaShaunda Pratt (11.4) also average double-figure scoring.
The Blazers continue to rank third in the nation in scoring defense at 48.8 points per game. UAB is turning opponents over 19.9 times per game, while giving it away just 14.8 times on average -- the fewest in Conference USA. The Blazers are scoring 17.9 of their 57.0 points per game off opponent turnovers.
SCOUTING MARSHALL
Marshall snapped a five-game losing streak Thursday with a 65-57 victory over Rice. The Thundering Herd, which started the season 12-3, now owns a record of 13-8 with a mark of 4-4 in conference play.
Marshall's scoring has been incredibly balanced with no player averaging more than Erica Woods at 7.1 points per game. A total of 12 Marshall players are averaging between 3.6 and 7.1 points per contest.
The Thundering Herd owns the top 3-point percentage in Conference USA at 32.2 percent. Marshall also ranks second in the league in rebounding margin at plus-6.3 and third in field goal percentage defense at 34.8 percent.
GETTING STARTED
• 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 1,022 career points and is just the 13th Blazer ever to reach the 1,000-point mark before her senior season.
• The Blazers placed four scorers in double figures last Sunday against Southern Miss for the second time this season with Karisma Chapman scoring a career-high 25, followed by Amber Jones with 14, LaShaunda Pratt with 11 and Michaelea Kleist with 10.
• UAB enters Sunday's game at Marshall tied for second in the Conference USA standings with Memphis at 6-2 in league play, trailing only UTEP (8-0).
• UAB is the top team in Conference USA and third nationally in scoring defense, surrendering just 48.8 points per game for the season. The Blazers also rank 22nd in the country in blocks per game (5.3) and 36th in field goal percentage defense (35.3 percent).
• UAB has four players ranked among the top 10 in C-USA in blocks per game -- Meagan Brown (1.4, 7th), TaRonda Randall (1.3, 8th), Michaelea Kleist (1.2, 9th) and Karisma Chapman (1.0, T-10th).
• The Blazers have forced 103 more turnovers than their opponents this year and are out-scoring opponents in points of turnovers by more than five per game (17.9-12.3).
• The Blazers got off to a 4-0 start in Conference USA this season for just the third time ever. UAB's overall record of 13-3 through the first 16 games marked the program's second-best start ever.
• Dating back to last season, UAB has won 19 of its past 24 games and 26 of its past 35 contests.
• The Blazers have held an opponent to fewer than 40 points in a game 12 times in program history, and four of those instances -- more than any other season -- have occurred through just 20 games this year.
• UAB held Rice to 11 first-half points in the Jan. 5 victory over the Owls, matching the fewest points ever surrendered by the Blazers in one half.
• UAB's trio of sophomore forward Karisma Chapman (14.2 ppg), junior guard Amber Jones (13.9 ppg) and senior guard LaShaunda Pratt (11.4 ppg) have accounted for 68.0 percent of the Blazers' scoring with 776 of the team's 1,141 points on the year.
• 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.
SECOND-BEST START
UAB is now 15-5 through 20 games, but its 13-3 record through 16 contests was the second-best in program history and the best in 17 years. The 1981-82 Blazer team had the best start ever at 14-2. This year's team matched the second-best start for a UAB team, tying the 1979-80, 1991-92 and 1994-95 teams with its 13-3 mark.
The Blazers also matched their best-ever Conference USA start at 4-0, joining the 2006-07 and 2009-10 teams. UAB is now 6-2 in league play.
DOMINATING DEFENSE
Coming off one of the best defensive seasons in Conference USA history, UAB has been even stingier so far this year. The Blazers have surrendered just 48.8 points per contest and rank third in the nation in scoring defense in the latest NCAA statistics (2/3).
UAB has held 13 of its 20 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.
HISTORIC NUMBERS
UAB is on pace to break its own Conference USA record for scoring defense by a large margin. Last season, the Blazers set a school and league record 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 league record.
This year, UAB is allowing only 48.8 points per game (third in the nation), and the Blazers have allowed their eight conference opponents an average of 50.2 points per contest.
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 versus Marshall with 1,022 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.
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 357-246 for the season in points off turnovers. That is an average differential of more than five points per game (17.9-12.3).
The Blazers have scored more than 20 points off turnovers in a game seven times this season, including a season-best 30 points off turnovers in the win over Houston (1/15). In three of UAB's five losses, the team has scored fewer than 10 points off turnovers.
BLOCK PARTY
The second-best shot-blocking team in Conference USA, the Blazers are swatting 5.3 shots per game (ranked 22nd in the nation) and 5.9 per game through eight conference contests. UAB is nearly two blocks 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 this season are averaging at least one block per game. Meagan Brown leads the team at 1.4, followed by Michaelea Kleist (1.3), TaRonda Randall (1.2) and Karisma Chapman (1.1).
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 Tulsa (2/10/11).
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.
JONES PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Junior guard Amber Jones continues to be one of the top scoring threats for UAB, ranking second on the team with an average of 13.9 points per game. She has led UAB in scoring nine 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 is the leading returning scorer for UAB 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.
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 all the way to 33.8 (27-for-80), which ranks fourth in Conference USA.
DOING DAMAGE FROM DOWNTOWN
UAB averages 5.5 3-pointers per game as a team to rank first in Conference USA, while senior guard LaShaunda Pratt ranks second in the league individually with 2.1 treys per contest. The Blazers knocked down 13 in a single contest against UNCG (12/6), including six by Pratt.
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.
PRATT FROM LONG RANGE
LaShaunda Pratt ranks second in Conference USA with 2.1 made 3-pointers per game. More than half of Pratt's field goal attempts this season (130 of 232) have come from behind the 3-point line.
Coming into the season, Pratt had never made more than three 3-pointers in a game. Through 20 games this year, she has already surpassed that twice.
Pratt hit five treys 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.
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 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. She logged her third career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds at UNCG.
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.
NEW MARK FOR DEFENSE IN A HALF
UAB matched the program record for fewest points allowed in a half Jan. 5 against Rice, limiting the Owls to just 11 points over the opening 20 minutes.
The Blazers also surrendered only 11 points in a half against Cincinnati on March 9, 1995. On four other occasions, UAB has limited an opponent to 12 points in a single half.
KLEIST'S CONTRIBUTIONS
Junior forward Michaelea Kleist, who came off the bench for the first three games, has now started 17 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 1.2 per game and second in rebounds with 5.6 per outing. Kleist's five blocked shots against UNCG (12/6) are the most by a UAB player this season.
BROWN'S BLOCKS
Meagan Brown reached a milestone with her 100th career blocked shot Jan. 22 against Memphis. The senior center is coming off a 2010-11 campaign in which she set the school record for single-season blocked shots with 49. Her 101 career blocks rank third on the Blazers' all-time list, trailing only the 125 by Deanna Jackson (1998-2002) and the 108 of Mary Morning (1993-97).
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 (152 assists, 140 turnovers) this year.
Jones (60 assists, 50 turnovers) and Watson (56 assists, 43 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 USA in assist-to-turnover ratio.
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
UAB has been among the nation'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 but have dropped to No. 34 (14.8 per game). They lead C-USA in fewest giveaways this year.
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 head coach Audra Smith's eight-year tenure at the school and the fewest turnovers for the Blazers since they gave the ball away just five times against Tulsa on Feb. 12, 2009.
FORCING TURNOVERS
UAB has created 103 more turnovers than its opponents (398-295) 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 143 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 20 games this season, UAB has snagged 305 offensive rebounds (15.3 per game) compared to 224 (11.2 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 McNeese State (11/19).
Senior center Meagan Brown has logged a team-high 53 offensive boards, while sophomore forward Karisma Chapman has snagged nearly half of her rebounds (51 of 104) 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 20 games, UAB has attempted 168 more shots (1,124-956) than its opponents for an average of 8.4 more attempts per game.
