The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Basketball Welcomes Marshall
2/16/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 16, 2013
Live Stats (GameTracker) | Live Video | UAB Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s basketball team returns to Bartow Arena on Sunday when the Blazers host Marshall at 2 p.m. CT.
UAB (14-9, 5-5 Conference USA) faces Marshall (8-15, 2-8 C-USA) for the second time this season. The Blazers won 61-45 on Jan. 27 in Huntington, W. Va.
Game Information
UAB (14-9, 5-5 C-USA) vs. Marshall (8-15, 2-8 C-USA)
Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013
Bartow Arena – 2 p.m. CT
Series Information
Series Tied, 9-9
>> UAB and Marshall have met 18 times in a series that dates back to 1995. The Blazers took the last contest between the two schools, 61-45, on Jan. 27. The Green and Gold committed just seven turnovers and forced 22 Marshall miscues in the win.
Scouting Marshall
>> Marshall has won two of its last four games after starting the Conference USA schedule with six-straight losses.
>> The Herd upset league leader and previous unbeaten SMU on Thursday, taking an impressive 59-47 win over the Mustangs to move to 2-8 in C-USA action.
>> With a No. 12 ranking on the C-USA scoring offense chart, Marshall averages just 54.8 points per game. The Herd does not have a player who averages in double figures. Shay Weaver leads the team with her 9.7 points per game.
>> The Herd is 1-7 on the road this season, including an 0-5 mark in league play.
Sunday’s Headlines
Blazers Eye Better Seeding
>> UAB is currently in fourth place in the Conference USA standings with six games to go. Four games back of league leader SMU, the Blazers play four of the next six contests at Bartow Arena. The Blazers also play three teams (Marshall, East Carolina and UCF) they have already beaten this season.
Grimes Named C-USA POW
>> Junior Ashley Grimes heated up late in the first half against East Carolina last Sunday and never cooled down on her way to 31 points and a Conference USA Player of the Week honor. The Selma, Ala., native scored half of UAB’s points in the win against ECU and is averaging 23 points per game in her last four contests.
Look For Defensive Battle
>> Both UAB and Marshall are two of the better defensive teams in Conference USA. The Blazers are second in scoring defense (55.8 ppg), while Marshall is fifth (59.3 ppg). Offensively, the Herd is No. 12 in scoring offense (54.8 ppg), while the Blazers are seventh (62.9 ppg).
UAB Notes
Grimes Steps Up
>> Junior Ashley Grimes tallied two-straight career highs with 24 points against SMU on Feb. 7 and 31 against East Carolina on Feb. 10. Grimes has now scored in double figures in 14 of her 18 starts this season.
The 5-foot-9 forward scored 17 against Memphis on Thursday, but was held to just one second-half point.
More On Grimes
>> Ashley Grimes (31 points) became the first Blazer since Jala Harris to score more than 30 points in a single game. Harris tallied 40 in a double-overtime contest at Marshall on Jan. 30, 2010.
Tigers Best Short-Handed Blazers
>> Memphis completed a season sweep of UAB on Thursday, taking a 64-57 victory at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
The Tigers forced 23 Blazer turnovers -- the second-highest total of the season for UAB. The Green and Gold started two freshmen in that contest, playing without usual starting forward Karisma Chapman.
Blazers Change Starting Five
>> UAB has changed its starting five in the last three games. In 13 of UAB’s 23 games, the Blazers have started Amber Jones (G), Khalilah Watson (G), Karisma Chapman (F), Ashley Grimes (F) and Michaelea Kleist (F). Against Memphis, the Blazers went with Jones (G), Grimes (G), Kayla Anderson (F), Khoria Newman (F) and Kleist (G).
UAB Leans On Defense
>> Statistically, UAB is one of the top defensive teams in Conference USA. The Blazers rank second in scoring defense (55.8 ppg), field-goal pct. defense (.356) steals (12.3 spg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.260).
Chapman Approaching 1,000
>> Junior Karisma Chapman now has 910 points in her UAB career and needs just 90 to reach 1,000. She would be the 26th player in Blazer history to net 1,000 points.
Jones, Watson Games Played
>> Amber Jones and Khalilah Watson have moved into the top-10 in UAB history in games played. Jones has seen action in 118 games in her career, while Watson has played in 117.
Kleist Closing In On 500
>> Senior Michaelea Kleist is closing in on 500 points in her career. Kleist, who attended Eastern Kentucky from 2009-10, has 491 points during her three-year Division I career.
Newman Picks Up Start
>> Freshman Khoria Newman picked up just the second start of her career in the squad’s first conference test at UCF. Newman provided valuable playing time and tallied 5 points and 3 rebounds in 16 minutes. Newman drew her third start against Memphis on Thursday.
