The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
WKU
First Quarter Not Enough, UAB Falls at WKU
2/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Box l Season Stats
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The UAB women’s basketball team exploded out to a 20-11 lead in the first quarter, but it wasn’t enough to outlast the second-ranked squad in Conference USA, WKU, as it dropped a 64-55 decision to the Lady Toppers at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Brittany Winborne narrowly missed a double-double as she finished the day with a game-best 15 points and seven rebounds.
Freshman guard Deanna Kuzmanic also tallied double figures as she chipped in 11 points, shooting 4-of-9 from the floor. The Wheeling, Illinois, native dropped two triples in the game as she moved into sole possession of sixth place in UAB’s record books with 72 made 3-pointers in a single season. Senior guard Chelsee Black tallied 6 points and is now 2 points shy of 17th place in UAB history with 1,298 career points.
The Blazers (13-14, 6-10) used a 12-2 run in the opening minutes of the first quarter to jump out to a 17-6 lead with 3:53 to play. WKU chipped away with a 5-0 lead, but UAB maintained its composure as it held a convincing 20-11 lead at the end of the first.
En route to their 20-11 lead, Winborne dropped 9 points in the opening 10 minutes, while securing four rebounds. The Blazers were a combined 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) from the floor, while the Lady Toppers were a mere 4-of-14 from the field (28.6 percent).
An 8-2 WKU run cut the UAB lead to one, 25-24, with 3:13 on the clock in the second period. After Kayla Anderson sank a pair of shots from the charity stripe, WKU took its first and final lead of the contest as it scored back-to-back buckets to close out the half.
At the midway point, the Lady Toppers had a slight 29-27 advantage, thanks to outscoring the Blazers 18-7 in the second period. UAB shot 43.5 percent (10-of-23) in the opening 20 minutes, while WKU shot 35.7 percent (10-of-28).
The Lady Toppers opened the third quarter with a 10-4 run, extending their lead to eight, 39-31, at the 5:16 mark. Buckets by Kara Rawls and Kuzmanic cut the WKU lead to three, but the Blazers could not contain the Lady Toppers as they responded with an 8 straight points to own a 47-36 lead with 2:55 to go in the third.
To open the fourth and final quarter, a Winborne layup cut the lead to six, 48-42. However, the Blazers were never able to get closer as WKU kept UAB at bay, earning a 64-55 win.
WKU (22-5, 13-3) was led by a near triple-double by Kendall Noble. Noble, who earned a triple-double earlier this season, chipped in 11 points, while dishing out a career-high 11 assists, and secured seven rebounds. Tashia Brown, the squad’s leading scorer, led the Lady Toppers with 12 points, while Ivy Brown chipped in 11 points.
In the game, UAB outshot WKU as it drained 47.8 percent of its attempts (22-of-46), while the Lady Toppers shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the floor. The Blazers dominated the paint as they held a 28-22 advantage down low.
Next up, UAB concludes its regular season as it returns to the friendly confines of Bartow Arena next weekend as it hosts FIU and Florida Atlantic on Thursday and Saturday.
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