The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Samford
Winborne Lifts UAB Over Samford
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Senior forward Brittany Winborne recorded her third consecutive double-double to lead UAB to a 61-41 victory over crosstown rival Samford on Monday at Bartow Arena.
Winborne notched 12 points and 12 rebounds for her seventh career double-double. The Baltimore, Md., native also blocked four shots and dished out three assists
“I don’t think Brittany has any idea of her capabilities,” said UAB head coach Randy Norton. “We feel like she can dominate on both ends. She is an outstanding rebounder and is very strong in the post. We are counting on her every single game.”
Chelsee Black led four Blazers in double figures with 16 points to go along with three assists. Deanna Kuzmanic added 14 points and eight rebounds and sophomore forward Keonna Farmer also had 12 points.
Despite trailing 27-24 at halftime, the Blazers rode the hot shooting of Kuzmanic to open up the second half on a 16-3 run to surge ahead, 40-30, after a Winborne layup with 2:17 to play in the third quarter.
Samford cut the UAB lead to 44-37 following an Ellen Riggins layup midway through the fourth quarter, but a 17-4 run over the final 6:17 helped UAB pick up its 12th consecutive home win dating back to last season. It is also the second time the Blazers started a season 5-0 at home under Norton. In its five home games this season, UAB has defeated opponents by an average margin of 34.4 points per game.
UAB used a stingy defense to hold Samford to four fourth quarter points and just 16.7 percent shooting from the floor over the final 20 minutes.
“Samford is a very difficult team to guard,” added Norton. “We needed to keep them in front of us defensively, and we wanted to contest all of their shots because they are very capable of hitting threes.
“We designed a non-conference schedule that was very challenging," said Norton. “I feel like we are in a great spot and we are right where we want to be heading into conference play.”
UAB finished with a 44.2 shooting percentage (23-for-52) and went 5-for-12 (41.7 percent) from three-point range. UAB also out-rebounded Samford 44-26 and converted 18 points in the paint.
“When this team plays with energy and passion, they are going to be a hard team to beat,” Norton said.
UAB will enjoy the holiday season before starting Conference USA action Jan. 3 against Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
For more information on the UAB women’s basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB) and on Instagram (Instagram.com/uab_wbball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) and on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
