The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Streaks Collide at Bartow Arena Thursday
1/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Western Kentucky (16-2, 7-0) vs. UAB (10-8, 3-4)
7:00 p.m. CST | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | UAB Game Notes l WKU Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Winning streaks are slated to collide on Thursday night at Bartow Arena as the UAB women’s basketball team returns home to welcome Western Kentucky. Tip between the Blazers and Hilltoppers is set for 7 p.m.
Fans can watch online at UABSports.com, listen along with play-by-play announcer Holly Berry and follow along on Twitter (@UAB_WBB) for live, in-game updates.
UAB (10-8, 3-4) has won 14 straight regular season games at Bartow, while WKU (16-2, 7-0) has defeated 13 straight opponents as it has remained undefeated in C-USA play.
The Blazers return home after splitting a Texas road trip last week. UAB started off its trip by extending its win streak to three as it took down Rice, 64-55, but the Blazers then fell at North Texas, 53-51, in dramatic fashion.
UAB is led by freshman Deanna Kuzmanic who paces the Blazers with 13.3 points per contest. Senior Chelsee Black follows closely behind, as she chips in 13.2 points a night. Kuzmanic is averaging 2.7 buckets from beyond the arc per game, which is the third-best mark in the nation among freshmen
Last time out, the Blazers were led by Brittany Winborne’s double-double performance. The forward hailing from Baltimore dominated the glass as she secured a career-best 16 rebounds. Her 16 boards are the most in more than over a decade as Domaneice Moore reeled in 18 boards against Georgia Tech in 2005. Winborne notched her ninth career double-double in the outing as she paced the Blazers, adding 15 points. Winborne’s dominate performance shows as she ranks third in the league in rebounds per game (9.9), which is the 30th-most in the country.
Western Kentucky is led by two standouts, Tashia Brown and Kendall Noble. The duo pours in a combined 34.4 points per night (17.3, 17.1) in C-USA play.
On the glass, Ivy Brown is totaling 9.3 rebounds a night while Noble secures 7.8 an outing. The Blazers will have to protect the boards as Brown ranks 13th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game. As a unit, the Hilltoppers ranks 14th in the country in offensive rebounds per contest (17.0).
UAB’s league-best defense will have to work hard on the deep ball, as WKU holds the nation’s 24th-best 3-point field goal percentage. The Hilltoppers are shooting 36.2 percent (93-of-257) from deep this year.
UAB and WKU will be meeting for the 18th time in program history. Despite falling on the road in their latest meeting, the Blazers have claimed two of the last three meetings with the Hilltoppers.
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Instagram (@UAB_WBBALLs) 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).
