The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
C-USA Leading Defense Hits the Road for Rice
1/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Rice (3-13, 2-3) vs. UAB (9-7, 2-3)
7:00 p.m. CST | Houston, Texas | Tudor Fieldhouse
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women’s hoops team takes Conference USA’s top-ranked defense to Texas as it faces Rice on Thursday night at the Tudor Fieldhouse. The Blazers and Owls are slated to tip at 7 p.m.
UAB (9-7, 2-3) is coming off a 2-0 weekend that saw the Blazers extend their regular season home winning streak to 14, which began last January when UAB defeated Southern Miss 62-49.
UAB defeated conference foes Old Dominion and Charlotte, 58-55 and 75-57, respectively in its latest outings.
In the pair of games last week, freshman guard Deanna Kuzmanic paced the Blazers, pouring in 18.5 points per contest in that span. Senior forward Brittany Winborne earned her eighth career double-double against Charlotte, on her way to averaging 14.5 points and 9.0 boards in the victories.
Senior guard Chelsee Black, who was honored for becoming UAB’s 27th 1,000-point scorer, averaged 11.0 points per game over last week and is the Blazers’ leading scorer this season.
Kuzmanic has been hot from the floor, especially in conference play. She is averaging 2.6 treys per game, the third-most by any freshman in the nation. Against Old Dominion and Charlotte, she shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Winborne is shooting 57.7 percent (60-of-104) from the floor this season, a Conference USA-high.
The Blazers will look for the trio of Kuzmanic, Black and Winborne on the road. In its contests away from Bartow Arena, Kuzmanic and Black lead UAB with 11.7 and 11.0 points, respectively. Winborne dominates the glass, securing 10.4 rebounds a night.
Meanwhile, Rice (3-13, 2-3) is looking to bounce back after a tough road weekend, dropping back-to-back contests at Western Kentucky and Marshall. Prior to the road trip, the Owls defended their home court in two-straight overtime games, including their 100-97 win in triple overtime over North Texas. In the game prior, Rice edged UTSA, 49-48, at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Rice had a rough start to the season, as it began 0-7 with losses at powerhouses Kentucky, Texas, Harvard, Baylor, Houston, Stephen F. Austin, and others.
Shani Rainey, who tallies 11.3 points per game, leads the Owls. Maya Hawkins is also a threat on offense, chipping in 10.7 points per contest. On the glass, Rainey secures 6.1 boards a night.
The Blazers hold a 6-5 advantage over the Owls in program history. In its latest meeting, UAB defeated Rice 75-59 at Bartow Arena. The Blazers have secured three wins out of their last five meetings with the Owls.
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 UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Instagram (@UAB_WBBALL) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWomensBasketball). 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) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
--
