The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Meets Marshall In Saturday Showdown
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
UAB (14-11, 8-6 C-USA) at Marshall (14-10, 6-7 C-USA)
Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT
Huntington, W. Va. - Cam Henderson Center
Coverage: | Listen Free | Watch
UAB Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In its second game of a three-game road stint, the UAB women's basketball team travels to Huntington, W. Va. To take on Marshall in a Conference USA showdown on Saturday. The Blazers and Thundering Herd are set to tip at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT.
UAB (14-11, 8-6 C-USA) looks to extend its streak to five-straight wins over Marshall (14-10, 6-7 C-USA) having won the last three meetings in the Cam Henderson Center.
Fans can listen to the game free on UABsports.com with Laura Waldrop (play-by-play) and Katie Broadway (color) 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 22nd meeting all-time between UAB and Marshall. The Blazers hold a 12-9 advantage in the series and have won six of the last seven contests, including four-straight. Last season the two teams met twice, with UAB defeating Marshall, 63-57, in Huntington and picking up a 79-63 win in the Conference USA tournament
- Saturday's game will feature two of the top defensive teams in Conference USA. The Blazers currently lead the league in scoring defense, holding opponents to 57.3 points per game. The Thundering Herd are fourth allowing 60.4 points per game. Marshall and UAB also rank second and third, respectively, in field goal percentage defense.
- The Blazers have been one of the top 3-point shooting teams among the league this season. They currently lead C-USA with a .360 three-point field goal percentage after shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc against WKU. UAB is also second with 6.4 three-point field goals per game. Marshall is second in C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a .285 clip on the season.
- Senior Janae Smith leads UAB and ranks fourth in C-USA with 17.8 points per game. Smith has scored over 20 points in eight games this season, including a streak of four-straight. She earned C-USA Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two wins last week.
- UAB is currently in sole possession of fifth place in the C-USA standings. The Blazers have won seven of their last 10 games and are in the middle of a three-game road stint. The Thundering Herd is tied for eighth in C-USA.
Notes
Series
UAB and Marshall are meeting for the 22nd time in series history. The Blazers hold a 12-9 advantage over the Thundering Herd having won six of the last seven games, including four-straight. UAB also leads in games played at the Cam Henderson Center with a 5-4 record. Last season the two teams met twice. The Blazers picked up a win on the road, 63-57, on Jan. 11, 2014 and also earned a win in the Conference USA tournament over the Herd, 79-63.
Scouting the Thundering Herd
Marshall (14-10, 6-7 C-USA) has lost its last three games entering Saturday's contest, most recently falling to Middle Tennessee, 74-48. The Thundering Herd are tied for eighth in C-USA. Four players are averaging double figures, led by Leah Scott with 14.1 points per game. Chukwuka Ezeigbo leads the team and is third in C-USA with 10.5 rebounds per game. Ezeigbo also leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting .674 on the season. As a team, Marshall ranks second in field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Last Time Out
UAB played solid defense, but turnovers late in the game led to a 59-51 loss to WKU on Thursday night. The Blazers held the Lady Toppers to their lowest score of the season on just 36.7 percent shooting, while UAB finished 38.0 percent from the field after 52.6 percent in the second half. The Blazers also won the battle on the boards, 44-31. It was the first time this season WKU was held to less than 60 points after averaging 77.8 entering the game. Junior Chelsee Black led the Blazers with 14 points and senior Janae Smith recorded a career-high 13 rebounds.
Continuing To Improve In Second Half of C-USA Play
After starting 3-4 in the first seven games of C-USA play, UAB is 5-2 in the last seven games with its two losses coming by a combined 13 points. The Blazers own a .458 field goal percentage and are .364 from beyond the 3-point line. UAB has been strong all season defensively, but has played especially well recently, holding teams to 52.1 points per game in the last seven contests as teams are shooting just .331 during that stretch. The Blazers are also out-rebounding teams, 38.3-34.4.
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 win over North Texas, UAB allowed just 40 points on 29.5 percent shooting. The game before, Southern Miss was held to their lowest score of the season with just 44 points. Most recently, the Blazers held WKU to its lowest output with just 59 points after averaging 77.8 coming in. In Conference USA games, UAB leads the league in scoring defense (55.1 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.355) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.246).
