The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Faces No. 23 Middle Tennessee On The Road
2/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2014
UAB (15-10, 7-6 C-USA) at Middle Tennessee (24-4, 13-1 C-USA)
Saturday, March 1 at 3 p.m. CT
Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Murphy Center
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Watch
Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s basketball team will play its final regular season road game at No. 23 Middle Tennessee on Saturday. The Blazers and Blue Raiders are slated to tip off at 3 p.m. CT.
Blazer Bits
- Conference USA: UAB enters the game sixth in C-USA standings. No. 23 Middle Tennessee is currently on a six-game winning streak and is leading the conference standings.
- This will be the third-straight game that UAB has faced one of the top two teams in the league and the second time that the Blazers and Blue Raiders have met this season.
- UAB and Middle Tennessee are two of the top teams in field goal percentage defense this season. The Blue Raiders are second in the conference, holding teams to .364 shooting, and the Blazers are third allowing just .374 percentage.
- This will be the first time since the 2009-10 season that the Blazers have played a ranked team. Middle Tennessee enters the game ranked No. 23 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
- UAB has been solid on defense. The team is first in C-USA in defensive rebounds (28.4), second in blocked shots per game (5.1) and third in field goal percentage defense (.374).
- Chapman is second in C-USA in points per game during league play. She is averaging 22.8 ppg in UAB’s 13 conference games and has scored more than 20 points in nine of those games. Chapman is also averaging a double-double in that span with 11.7 rpg.
UAB Notes
A Look At the Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee (24-4, 13-1 C-USA) enters the game as the top team in the C-USA standings. The Blue Raiders have won six straight games and lost just one conference game this season. Ebony Rowe leads the team with 21.3 ppg and 11.6 rpg. Shanice Cason leads the team in assists (71) and Olivia Jones leads in steals (64). Middle Tennessee leads the conference in scoring defense, holding teams to just 54.0 ppg.
The Series
It will be just the eighth meeting between UAB and Middle Tennessee, but the second this season. The Blazers and Blue Raiders clashed earlier this season in Bartow Arena. Middle Tennessee edged UAB for a 61-55 win. The Blazers still hold a slight advantage in the series, having won four of the seven games.
Ranked Opponent
This will be the first time since the 2009-10 season that UAB has faced a ranked opponent. Middle Tennessee enters the game No. 23 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll. The last game came on Nov. 17, 2009, against No. 3 Ohio State. The Blazers fell to the Buckeyes, 88-55 in that game. The last time UAB defeated a ranked opponent was in the 1999-00 season, when the Blazers defeated Mississippi State, 76-70, to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Strong on Both Sides of the Ball
UAB ranks in the top four among Conference USA members in both field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense. The Blazers are the only team to be in the top four in those categories. On the season, UAB is second in the league with a .428 percentage and are holding opponents to just .378 percent shooting.
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 (272) and jumped up to fourth in blocked shots (91). As a junior, she became the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000 points, and has since added to her total. With 1,570 points, she has moved into 10th place in the all-time leading scoring list. She needs just 31 points to move into ninth place.
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 26 games in the 2013-14 season. The three are each averaging double figures and have all scored in double-digits in 16 games this season.
They each rank among the top-10 in C-USA individual categories. Chapman is fourth in scoring (20.4 ppg), sixth in rebounding (9.6 rpg), seventh in minutes played (35.6), eighth in steals (1.9) and 10th in field goal percentage (.496). Grimes is eighth in steals (1.92) and ninth in assists (3.35). Black is first in free throw percentage (.877), fourth in 3-point percentage (.383), fifth in 3-point field goals made (2.2 pg) and sixth in minutes played (36.7).
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