The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
FIU
Women's Basketball Defeats FIU, 68-45
1/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score 
MIAMI, Fla. - Senior Janae Smith recorded her third double-double of the season to lead the UAB women's basketball team past FIU, 68-45, on Sunday afternoon in Miami, Fla. The Blazers picked up their first win in Conference USA play.
"I am really proud of our team," head coach Randy Norton said. "Coming into today's game, we challenged them that our backs were against the wall and we needed to come out and control the things we can control. We were not going to come in here and not fight. I felt like our girls dominated the game from beginning to end. The game was never in doubt."
UAB improved to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in C-USA, while FIU fell to 3-11 and 0-3 in league play. The Blazers out-shot the Panthers on the day, finishing 51.9 percent from the field and holding FIU to 31.7 percent.
Three players scored in double figures for UAB, led by Smith's 17 points. Junior Chelsee Black finished with 15 points and junior Bianca Dufelmeier added a career-high 10 points. The Blazers won the battle in the paint, 32-24, and did a good job of finding the open man with 15 assists.
Smith and junior Kayla Anderson both finished with career-highs, recording five assists in the contest. The pair also led UAB on the defensive efforts. Smith picked up 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.
Anderson, who set the single season record for blocks last season, tallied a career-high six blocks to help the Blazers to a season-high nine blocks on the day.
UAB had everything working in the first half, shooting 55.2 percent from the field and holding FIU to 33.3 percent. Smith opened the game with seven of the Blazers' nine points with three-straight layups. Then Black hit a 3-pointer to give UAB a 12-10 lead at the 14:06 mark.
FIU tied it up 12-12, until Dufelmeier hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give UAB a 15-12 lead with 12:41 remaining in the first half. The Blazers picked up a stop on the other end that led to senior Miranda Burroughs sinking a 3-pointer to make it 18-12.
UAB continued to stretch its lead over the Panthers during the first half. Dufelmeier connected on her second three of the game to spark a 10-0 run. FIU was held scoreless for four minutes until hitting a layup at the 1:36 mark as UAB took a 39-21 lead into the half.
The momentum didn't stop for the Blazers in the second half, as they continued to put pressure on the Panthers. UAB extended its lead to 22 points after back-to-back 3-pointers from Black and Burroughs followed by a layup by Dufelmeier.
Two-straight threes for FIU cut it to, 51-33, with 10:41 remaining, but UAB would not be stopped as it held its largest lead of the game, 60-35, after a 6-0 run with 6:09 on the clock. FIU would go on a 9-0 run to pull within 16 points, but the Blazers used another 6-0 run to stretch the lead back to 22 points and held on for the 68-45 win.
"I thought we had a lot of contributions from every player on the team," Norton stated. "It is a great win, certainly something to build off. We are excited to get back home to Bartow Arena for these upcoming games."
UAB will return home this week to host Louisiana Tech on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT and Southern Miss on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. Saturday's game the 1999-2000 Sweet 16 team will be celebrated for their 15-year anniversary.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
