The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Trek To North Texas Saturday
1/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2014
UAB (11-8, 3-3 C-USA) at North Texas (8-12, 2-5 C-USA)
Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. CT
Denton, Texas
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Watch
Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s basketball team will look to remain undefeated on the road in Conference USA play as it travels to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas.
The game is set for Saturday, Feb. 1 and the teams are slated to tip off at 2 p.m. CT.
Blazer Bits
- Conference USA - UAB is tied for fifth in the conference after falling to FIU. North Texas is coming off of a loss to Tulsa and ranks 14th in the league standings.
- Both UAB and North Texas rank among the top of the league in defensive rebounds. The Blazers lead the conference with 28.8 defensive rebounds per game, while the Mean Green are third with 27.5 defensive rebounds a game.
- Senior Karisma Chapman is averaging a double-double in C-USA play so far. She leads the team with 21.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg over the past six games. Chapman has recorded a double-double in six-straight games, and nine games on the season.
- The trio of Chapman, Grimes and Black are each averaging double-figures for the Blazers this season. Chapman leads the team with 19.1 ppg, Grimes is adding 15.1 ppg and Black averages 14.5 ppg. All three have scored in double-digits in the same game 12 times during the 2013-14 season.
- UAB’s defense ranks first in C-USA in defensive rebounds, second in field goal percentage defense, second in blocked shots and third in scoring defense.
UAB Notes
Scouting the Mean Green
North Texas (8-12, 2-5 C-USA) enters the game after a 79-63 loss to Tulsa at home. The Mean Green has two players averaging double figures on the season. Alexis Hyder is leading the team with 10.6 points per game and Briesha Wynn is averaging 10.5 points per game. Acheil Tac leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game and also ranks first in the conference in free throw percentage, shooting .620.
The Series
UAB and North Texas will meet for just the third time in series history, with the Mean Green winning both previous contests. The first meeting came on Dec. 1, 2000, when North Texas took the win, 67-54. In the most recent meeting, the teams met in Bartow on Nov. 28, 2009. The Blazers fell to the Mean Green, 76-63.
Anderson Hitting Her Stride
Sophomore Kayla Anderson scored a career-high 15 points in UAB’s game against FIU. She has been a strong presence in the paint this season for the Blazers, having blocked 44 shots already on the season. That number ranks her second in school history for a single season. She needs just five more blocks to tie Meagan Brown for the most in a season with 49.
Send Her To the Line
Sophomore Chelsee Black currently leads all C-USA players in free throw percentage with 86.9 percent form the charity stripe. On the season, Black has connected on 53 free throws in 61 attempts. She has been even more efficient in conference play, with a .929 percentage from the line.
Multiple 20-point Scorers
For the third time this season, UAB had two players score over 20 points in the same game. Seniors Karisma Chapman and Ashley Grimes both eclipsed 20 points in the win over Old Dominion. Chapman finished with 28 and Grimes with 21. It was the sixth game this season that Chapman has scored over 20 points and the fifth game for Grimes.
Consecutive Double-Doubles
Karisma Chapman is currently on a streak of six consecutive games with a double-double. Chapman has recorded double digit points and rebounds in all six conference games so far. She currently ranks third in C-USA with an average of 21.3 points per game and is third with 11.3 rebounds per game in league play.
Chapman Climbing The Ranks
Senior Karisma Chapman has certainly left her mark on the UAB women’s basketball program. Chapman is now second in school history in steals (254) and jumped up to fourth in blocked shots (81). As a junior, she became the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000 points, and has since added to her total. With 1,394 points, she has moved into 15th all-time.
Blazer Block Party
UAB ranks first among C-USA schools in blocked shots per game (5.0) in conference play. The Blazers put down a season-high 10 blocks as a team against Middle Tennessee. Sophomore Kayla Anderson recorded five of those blocks, which ties her career-high set earlier this season against Memphis.
A Trio of Leading Ladies
The group of senior forward Karisma Chapman, senior guard Ashley Grimes and sophomore point guard Chelsee Black have combined to lead UAB in scoring in all 18 games in the 2013-14 season. The three are each averaging double figures and have all scored in double-digits in 12 games this season.
They each rank among the top-10 in C-USA individual categories. Chapman is sixth in scoring (19.1 ppg), seventh in rebounding (8.7 rpg), seventh in minutes played (34.5) and 10th in field goal percentage (.495). Grimes is seventh in steals (2.1) and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.367). Black is first in free throw percentage (.869), third in 3-point field goals made (2.2 pg), fifth in minutes played (36.4) and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.382).
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
