The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Middle Tennessee State
UAB Falls To Middle Tennessee, 76-68
1/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Four players reached double figures as the UAB women's basketball team battled into the final seconds with Middle Tennessee, but the Blue Raiders held on for a 76-68 win on Sunday afternoon.
"I do not believe in moral victories, and that is what I just shared with our players," head coach Randy Norton said. "I do believe the season is a process and we are getting better. Middle Tennessee has a great team and coach (Rick) Insell has been there for 10 years and has an established program. The thing we asked our players to do today was to battle and not quit. I am really proud of our team. They would get us down, and we never went away and hung in to the very end."
UAB (6-6, 0-1 C-USA) was solid offensively finishing 46.9 percent from the field and a season-best 62.5 percent from the 3-point line. The Blazers were 7-of-8 from behind the arc in the first half. Middle Tennessee (7-4, 1-0 C-USA) shot 43.1 percent from the field, but out-scored UAB, 34-18, in the paint.
"Offensively, we had four players in double digits, which is the first time all season," Norton stated. "We had 17 assists which is a sign we were unselfish and moving the ball. The let down was the defensive breakdowns. The game plan was to keep the ball out from the post and we gave up 34 points in the paint."
Junior Chelsee Black led UAB with a season-high 22 points on 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Senior Janae Smith finished with 18 points, while senior Miranda Burroughs and sophomore Janeka Williams each added 10.
It was the first time the Blazers had four players finish in double-digits since Feb. 5, 2014, when UAB defeated Florida Atlantic in overtime. Williams and Black both finished with four assists.
Williams also led the Blazers on the board with a career-high seven rebounds. Smith added six and finished with three steals.
In a series that has produced several close games, Sunday's was no different. The first half saw six ties and eight lead changes. UAB took its largest lead, 15-12 after a layup by Williams at the 11:15 mark.
It was tied 20-20 after the teams traded the lead, when the Blue Raiders used an 8-0 run to go ahead 26-20, with 5:33 to play in the first half. Black halted Middle Tennessee's run with her second 3-pointer of the afternoon to cut it to, 26-23.
The Blue Raiders pushed the lead back to eight, but another big three for Black made it 31-26. Smith followed with a three of her own, then two free throws from junior Dy'man Webb tied the game back at 31-31.
After a defensive stop, Burroughs knocked down a jumper to give UAB the lead, but a three from Middle Tennessee's Olivia Jones gave it right back to the Blue Raiders. Jones added a layup, but Black ran down to hit a jumper with five seconds left to send UAB into the half down, 36-35.
Middle Tennessee opened the second half with a three, but Black picked up where she left off with a 3-pointer to improve to 4-of-4 on the afternoon. However, UAB suffered a four-minute scoring drought that allowed the Blue Raiders to go up, 48-38, with 14:23 remaining.
The Blazers cut it to four, 62-58, on a three from Burroughs with 3:54 left on the clock, but once again Middle Tennessee responded and pushed the lead back to nine. UAB was down nine when Black hit her final three of the game to cut it to six with 30 seconds left, but the Blazers could not get any closer.
"We are getting better," Norton remarked. "I feel like our team battled and fought. We never gave in and played 40 minutes. We ran out of time today. If we kept playing, we could have won that game. We will get ready to go on the road this week. It will be a tough conference and is a battle every game, but I like where our team is at."
UAB will be on the road for its next two games in league play as the Blazers travel to Florida Atlantic on Thursday and FIU on Saturday.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
Note:
Janae Smith’s 3-pointer at the 14:22 mark in the first half gave her 1,000 points for her career. She had 999 points entering today’s game and now has 1,017 points after finishing with 18 points against Middle Tennessee. She leads UAB with 214 points so far this season.
