The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
Women's Basketball Suffers 71-52 Loss to Marshall
2/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score 
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Senior Janae Smith led the UAB women’s basketball team with 19 points in the 71-52 loss to Marshall on Saturday.
“I thought Marshall played well today,” head coach Randy Norton said. “They shot the ball extremely well. When a team plays as well as Marshall did today and you shoot 30 percent you are not giving yourself much of a chance.”
UAB (14-12, 8-7 C-USA) shot just 30 percent from the field, while Marshall (15-10, 7-7 C-USA) finished 44.4 percent shooting after 50 percent in the second half. The Blazers out-rebounded the Thundering Herd 37-34 on the afternoon.
Smith just missed a double-double with nine rebounds to go with her 19 points. Freshman Whytney Singleton and junior Kayla Anderson each added seven points in the contest. Anderson also picked up five boards and had three blocks.
UAB was up 5-3 after a 3-pointer by Burroughs and layup from Williams to open the game. From there the teams traded baskets until a scoring drought for the Blazers would allow Marshall to go ahead with an 8-0 run, 18-9.
Down 10 at the 11:58 mark, junior Lauren McGraw made a layup then junior Chelsee Black hit a 3-pointer to make it 20-15. Marshall stretched its lead back out to 11 points with five minutes to play.
UAB found its offensive rhythm with an 11-2 run to pull within two, 28-26, before a three for the Thundering Herd made it 31-26 with just over a minute in the half. Junior Kayla Anderson converted two free throws to send the Blazers into halftime down, 31-28.
Smith opened the second half with a three-point play at the 19:44 mark to tie the game at 31-31. A long jumper for Anderson put UAB back in the lead, 33-31. Freshman Whytney Singleton added a 3-pointer to cap off an 8-2 start to the second half.
The Blazers also picked up the defensive pressure holding the Thundering Herd to just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the contest. However, Marshall responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead, 42-36, with 12:12 to play.
UAB would hit a dry spell as the Thundering Herd took advantage with a 12-1 run to lead, 54-39. Marshall’s AJ Johnson hit five of her six 3-pointers in the second half. The Blazers would pull within 13 several times but Marshall stayed hot from the floor to take the 71-52 win.
“We just have to have a short memory and get ready for the next one.” Norton stated.
The Blazers will have a week break before concluding its Conference USA road games at Middle Tennessee on Saturday. UAB and Middle Tennessee are set to tip at 5 p.m. CT.
For the latest news on Blazer sports, follow the UAB Athletics Twitter account: @UABathletics. For women's basketball news, follow @UAB_WBB.
