The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Basketball Looks To Continue Success At Old Dominion
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
UAB (9-8, 3-3 C-USA) at Old Dominion (10-7, 3-3 C-USA)
Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT
Norfolk, Va. – Ted Constant Convocation Center
Coverage: Live Stats | Listen Free | Watch
UAB Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s basketball team will travel from Charlotte, N.C. to Norfolk, Va. to meet Old Dominion on Saturday in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Blazers and Lady Monarchs are slated to tip off at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
UAB (9-8, 3-3 C-USA) is looking to win its second-straight Conference USA game on the road, while Old Dominion (10-7, 3-3 C-USA) is coming off a loss to Middle Tennessee on Thursday night.
Fans can listen to the game free on UABsports.com with Laura Waldrop (play-by-play) and Katie Broadway (color analyst) on the call.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women’s basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
Blazer Bits
- This will be the 15th all-time meeting between UAB and Old Dominion in a series that dates back to the 1982-83 season. The Lady Monarchs won the first 11 games in the series, but the Blazers have won the last three meetings including a 80-64 win in Norfolk, Va. last season.
- In Conference USA play, UAB has been one of the top shooting teams as the Blazers are the only team to rank in the top two of field goal percentage (.438), 3-point field goal percentage (.423) and free throw percentage (.770).
- UAB remains atop the league in blocked shots during C-USA action. The Blazers are averaging 5.3 blocks per game and have 32 total blocks in six games, including three-straight games with eight or more blocks as a team.
- The Blazers have been playing strong defense against league opponents as well, only allowing opponents to average 58.2 points per game. The team has help opponents to fewer than 52 points in three of the last four games.
- The win over Charlotte on Thursday night gave UAB back-to-back Conference USA wins for the first time this season. Two of the Blazers’ three conference wins have come on the road and UAB has won three of its last four games entering Saturday’s contest.
Notes
Series
Saturday’s meeting will be the 15th all-time in the series for UAB and Old Dominion. The two teams first met back in the 1982-83 season, when the Lady Monarchs won, 102-79. The win sparked an 11-game streak for Old Dominion that the Blazers final broke on Jan. 19, 1991 with a 91-80 win inside Bartow Arena. UAB has now won the last three meetings between the two teams, including last season’s 80-64 win in Norfolk, Va. on Jan. 22, 2014.
Scouting the Lady Monarchs
Old Dominion (10-7, 3-3 C-USA) is coming off a 65-48 loss to Middle Tennessee at home on Thursday night. The Lady Monarchs had won its two previous games against Rice and North Texas entering the contest. Jennie Simms leads the team with 16.9 points per game, while Destinee Young leads the defensive efforts with 6.5 rebounds per game.
Blazers End Charlotte’s Streak
UAB won its second-straight Conference USA game as it defeated Charlotte, 60-52, on Thursday night. The win ended a seven-game streak over the Blazers and was the first time UAB had won since 2001. The Blazers shot 46.8 percent from the field and eight of the nine players that saw action scored. Senior Janae Smith and junior Chelsee Black each finished with 12 points.
Big Off The Bench
The Blazers’ bench scored 23 points to help lift UAB past Charlotte. Junior Brittany Winborne recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Freshmen T’erra Lewis and Whytney Singleton also played well with six and five points, respectively. It was the third time this season that the Blazers have had 20 or more points off the bench.
Finding Success Beyond The Arc
Since beginning league play, UAB has been strong offensively and defensively beyond the 3-point line. The Blazers rank second in C-USA shooting 42.4 percent behind the arc and are second with 7.3 3-point field goals made per game. UAB has also performed well defending its opponents as it leads the league only allowing 27.3 percent from 3-point range against C-USA foes.
Winning With Defense
Eight of UAB’s nine wins have come when the Blazers have held their opponent to less that 40 percent from the floor. UAB has used solid defense to hold its opponents to under 50 points in eight games this season. Most recently, the Blazers held Southern Miss to just 49 points on 36.7 percent shooting as the Lady Eagles were averaging 71.0 points per game and .459 field goal percentage entering the matchup.
Quick Starts Boost Blazers
UAB has had success when jumping out to the early lead in a game. The Blazers are 7-1 on the season when leading the game at halftime, with the only loss coming to Louisiana Tech. This season UAB has picked up wins over Lipscomb, Alcorn State, Loyola Chicago, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, South Alabama, FIU, Southern Miss and Charlotte. Its only comeback win came against UC Irvine, when the Blazers topped the Anteaters in overtime.
