The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Hosts Rice Saturday In Pink Game
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
UAB (13-10, 7-5 C-USA) vs. Rice (7-15, 2-9 C-USA)
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Ala. - Bartow Arena
Coverage: Live Stats | Listen Free | Watch
UAB Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Saturday will be the annual Pink Game as the UAB women's basketball team is set to host Rice in Bartow Arena. The Blazers and Owls are slated to tip off at 2 p.m. CT.
All in attendance are encouraged to wear pink to the game. UAB will be wearing pink shoes, socks, headbands and a pregame warmup shirt in honor of raising awareness for cancer. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free pink Blazer bandana.
Fans can listen to the game free on UABsports.com with Laura Waldrop (play-by-play) and Holly Berry (color analyst) on the call. A live stream will also be available on UABsports.com for all-access subscribers.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
Blazer Bits
- The teams are tied in the series, 5-5, coming into Saturday's contest. In the 11th all-time meeting, UAB is looking to win its first game over Rice since March 8, 2012. The Owls have won the last two matchups, including last season's with a 61-51 win on March 5, 2014 in Bartow Arena.
- Saturday's game will be a battle on the boards between the two squads. UAB enters the game with the top rebounding defense in Conference USA, allowing opponents just 35.2 rebounds per game. On the other side, Rice leads the league in rebounding offense with an average of 43.6 boards per game.
- The Blazers have been one of the top 3-point shooting teams among the league this season, ranking second in C-USA with a .362 3-point field goal percentage. UAB is also second with 6.5 three-point field goals per game. Rice leads C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding its opponents to a .257 average beyond the arc.
- Senior Janae Smith leads UAB and ranks fourth in C-USA with 17.8 points per game. Smith has scored over 20 points in seven games this season, including four-straight. The Matteson, Ill. native has led UAB in scoring in 16 games this season.
- After picking up a win over North Texas on Thursday night, UAB is currently in a three-way tie for fourth place. The Blazers have won six of their last eight games heading into Saturday's home game. Rice is tied for 12th in the C-USA standings.
UAB Notes
Series
UAB and Rice are meeting for the 11th time in a series that is tied 5-5 entering Saturday's contest. The Owls have won the last two meetings, including a 61-51 victory over the Blazers on March 5, 2014 in Bartow Arena. UAB recorded its last win at home over Rice on Jan. 5, 2012, 60-45.
Scouting the Owls
Rice (7-15, 2-9 C-USA) has lost its last three games coming in to Saturday's contest. Most recently, the Owls fell to Middle Tennessee, 79-61, on Thursday night. Christal Porter leads the team with 10.3 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game, which is second among C-USA players. Rice enters as the top 3-point defense in C-USA holding opponents to .257 percent and also leads the conference in rebounds per game, averaging 43.6.
Last Time Out
UAB used a balanced attack to down North Texas, 74-40, on Thursday night. All 13 players appeared in the game for the Blazers and 11 of those scored in the win. UAB shot 50.9 percent from the field and held the Mean Green to just 29.5 percent. Unselfish play highlighted the game as the Blazers moved the ball well dishing out a season-high 24 assists on their 28 field goals. Seniors Janae Smith and Miranda Burroughs led the team with 18 and 12 points, respectively. Smith also recorded her sixth double-double of the season with a team-high 11 rebounds.
Stifling Defense
The Blazers have made a living of holding teams well below their scoring average this season and the work is paying off as UAB continues to win with defense. In the last two games the Blazers have held their opponents to under 45 points. In the win over North Texas, UAB allowed just 40 points on 29.5 percent shooing. The game before, Southern Miss was held to their lowest score of the season with just 44 points. In Conference USA games, UAB leads the league in scoring defense (54.5 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.352) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.246).
Home Court Advantage
After a win over North Texas on Thursday night, UAB has now won its last four games inside Bartow Arena. The Blazers have played well at home all season with a 8-3 record on their own court after opening the season 4-0. Three of the six games remaining on UAB's schedule will be at home with Rice on Saturday before the Blazers conclude the season with Florida Atlantic and FIU in March.
Production From Everyone
The Blazers have 10 different players that are averaging over 10 minutes a game on the season. In the win over North Texas, 12 different players recorded rebounds, 11 scored, and nine players recorded an assist. UAB continued to rotate players into the game with just one player appearing in 30 or more minutes and nine players staying in the game for over 13 minutes.
