The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Middle Tennessee
UAB Battles Middle Tennessee, Falls in OT
2/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Box l Season Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior forward Brittany Winborne's domination of the boards, on her way to the second most rebounds in a single game in UAB history, was not enough as the UAB women's basketball team fell to Middle Tennessee in an overtime clash, 77-72.
"I'm really proud of my team," head coach Randy Norton said. "I thought our team played with fight; I thought there was great effort; I thought they played with passion and played with energy: all the things we talked about every day. We've made great improvements since the last time we played Middle Tennessee. In all the effort categories, we outplayed them, and we've improved a ton.
"What it came down to -- we were 60 percent from the free-throw line, and they were 83. We were 38 percent from the field, and they were 47. Against a good team like Middle, you can't do that."
Winborne earned her 16th career double-double on her way to 14 points at 23 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. The Baltimore, Md, native shot 5-of-8 on the day, and nearly matched the Blue Raiders' 29 team rebounds.
"She was a beast on the board," Norton said of Winborne. "She went in and dominated Middle, who is well-known for its post-play. I thought she played extremely hard for us and just owned the boards, so I'm really proud of her."
Deanna Kuzmanic converted tough, contested shots on her way to a team-best 19 points, one shy of her career best. Chelsee Black chipped in 13 points on the day and now is a mere 9 points shy of 18th place in the Blazers' all-time scoring record books.
UAB (13-12, 6-8) pushed the second-ranked and preseason C-USA favorite Middle Tennessee to overtime, but was unable to thwart MT's hot shooting. After ending regulation squared up at 66-all, the Blue Raiders outscored the Blazers 11-6 in overtime to secure sole possession of second place in the league.
UAB came out rusty in the first, but matched Middle Tennessee with a perfect 4-of-4 showing from the charity stripe to tie the contest at 4-all. After starting the contest 0-of-8 from the floor, the Blazers used a 10-0 run to claim a 12-4 lead with 2:28 to go in the first.
The Blue Raiders battled back as they trailed by two heading into the first break, 14-12.
The Blazers used a hot shooting spree to go on an 8-0 run, to claim a 28-19 lead with 3:44 to play in the second; but MT countered with its own 8-2 attack heading into the break, cutting UAB's lead to two, 30-28 at the midway point.
In the third, the Blazers and Blue Raiders traded baskets until UAB jumped out to a 64-58 lead with just under five minutes to play thanks to a 13-3 run, as Bianca Dufelmeier and Winborne got hot from the floor.
The Blue Raiders refused to go quietly as they held the Blazers scoreless for nearly four minutes to give MT a 66-64 advantage, due to an 8-0 run, with 56 seconds to play.
Dufelmeier dished out her sixth assist of the night to Winborne, who sank a bunny with 29 seconds to play, forcing overtime.
MT spurted out to a 70-66 lead with back-to-back buckets to start off overtime; but once again, UAB had an answer as it fought to narrow the gap, tying the game at 72 with one minute to play.
Hot shooting by Ty Petty secured the 77-72 win for the Blue Raiders, as she scored five straight points to end the game.
UAB outrebounded MT 48-29 in the contest, 23 coming from Winborne. The Blazers shot 26-of-68 (38.2 percent) to the Blue Raiders' 47.5 percent (28-of-59). UAB led the contest for nearly 20 minutes, while MT led for 16. In the tightly contested game, there were 10 ties and six lead changes.
Middle Tennessee was led by Alex Johnson, who shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the floor on her way to a game-best 29 points. Petty poured in 15 points, while Abbey Sissom chipped in 12. Petty dished out a career- and game-best 11 assists.
UAB returns to the hardwood Thursday as it takes a trip to Huntington, Va., to face Marshall. Tip between the Blazers and the Herd is slated for 10:30 a.m. CT.
