The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Basketball Set For Florida Atlantic
2/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2014
UAB (11-9, 3-4 C-USA) at Florida Atlantic (12-8, 2-5 C-USA)
Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
Boca Raton, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Stats | Listen Free
Notes: UAB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s basketball team will face Florida Atlantic for the first time in Conference USA play when the Blazers travel to Boca Raton, Fla., to meet the Owls on Wednesday.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT. Fans can listen to the game for free on UABsports.com.
Blazer Bits
- Conference USA: UAB and Florida Atlantic are both coming off losses in conference play. The Blazers are currently ninth in the standings and the Owls are tied for 13th.
- Offense versus Defense: The game will pit UAB’s defense against Florida Atlantic’s offense. The Blazers rank third in C-USA in scoring defense, holding opponents to 61.6 points per game. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic is averaging 77.4 points per game to rank third in scoring offense in the league.
- Senior Karisma Chapman is currently on a streak of seven consecutive games with a double-double. Chapman is averaging a double-double in conference play with 20.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg.
- Most recently, UAB lost to North Texas on the road, 66-58. It was the Blazers’ first loss on the road in conference play. Chapman led the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Khoria Newman added a career-high nine points and fellow sophomore Chelsee Black had nine points.
- UAB’s defense ranks second in C-USA in defensive rebounds, second in field goal percentage defense, third in blocked shots and third in scoring defense.
- Sophomore Kayla Anderson needs just four blocks to tie the single season record of 49 blocks set by Meagan Brown. Anderson currently has 45 blocks on the 2013-14 season.
UAB Notes
Scouting the Owls
Florida Atlantic (12-8, 2-5 C-USA) enters the game after falling to FIU, 76-72. The Owls have four different players averaging in double figures on the season. Chenise Miller is leading the team with 13.4 ppg, Latavia Dempsey is averaging 12.3 ppg, Kimberly Smith 11.5 ppg and Takia Brooks adds 10.6 ppg. Miller also leads the team with 7.0 rpg. Florida Atlantic has played especially well at home this season, holding a 7-1 record in FAU Arena.
The Series
UAB and Florida Atlantic will meet for just the third time in series history and the first time at FAU. The Blazers have won both of the meetings between the two teams and both of them were played in Bartow Arena. The first meeting was on Dec. 19, 2003, with UAB winning, 95-73. In the most recent meeting, the Blazers topped the Owls, 67-52, on Dec. 18, 2006.
Bench Scoring
Against North Texas, UAB had one of its biggest lifts off the bench this season. The players that came off the bench provided 22 points of 58 points, led by Khoria Newman with a career-high nine points. Brittany Winborne contributed eight points, Miranda Burroughs had three and Janeka Williams added two points. Earlier this season the Blazers scored 24 points off the bench in the win over Samford.
Consecutive Double-Doubles
Karisma Chapman is currently on a streak of seven consecutive games with a double-double. Chapman has recorded double-digit points and rebounds in all six conference games so far. She currently ranks fifth in C-USA with an average of 20.3 points per game and is fourth with 11.3 rebounds per game in league play.
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 45 shots already on the season. That number ranks her second in school history for a single season. She needs just four more blocks to tie Meagan Brown for the most in a season with 49.
Send Her To the Line
Sophomore Chelsee Black currently ranks third among 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.
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.
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 third among C-USA schools in blocked shots per game (4.7) 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 20 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 (18.9 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and seventh in minutes played (34.8). Grimes is eighth in steals (2.1) and eighth in 3-point field goal percentage (.358). Black is third in free throw percentage (.869), third in 3-point field goals made (2.3 pg), fifth in minutes played (36.5) and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.385).
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
