Dominant Third Quarter Propels UAB to 76-66 Win over Southern Illinois

Monday, November 13

Birmingham, Ala.

4:30 P.M.

UAB

2-0

Southern Illinois

1-1

Southern Illinois

UAB

Dominant Third Quarter Propels UAB to 76-66 Win over Southern Illinois

11/13/2017 8:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women's basketball team used a dominant third quarter as well as career nights by Rachael Childress and Imani Johnson to defeat Southern Illinois 76-66 in Bartow Arena on Monday evening.

The Blazers were unstoppable in the third period of play, shooting 50 percent (8-16) from the floor and an impressive 85.7 percent (6-7) from 3-point range. The team also added six points off the bench to help outscore the Salukis 25-13 in the quarter.

Childress shot lights out against Southern Illinois, finishing 8-for-11 from the floor and an extraordinary 7-for-9 from behind the arc to post a career-high 29 points. Her seven made 3-pointers also match a career high which she first set at Marshall on Feb. 16, 2017.

Johnson finished the game 3-for-8 off the bench and tacked on six more points at the charity stripe. The sophomore also drained her first career 3-pointer at the 4:52 mark in the first quarter en route to her career best 13-point afternoon.

UAB (2-0) is now 3-0 all-time against Southern Illinois and 6-3 all-time against teams from the Missouri Valley Conference.

"I was really pleased with how the girls performed against a really quality opponent," head coach Randy Norton said. "We improved a lot from our first game on Saturday, but I still think we can improve on the defensive side of the ball. Overall, it was a solid performance."

Sophomore Miyah Barnes also put in a solid day's work for the Blazers, finishing the game with nine points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior Deanna Kuzmanic added nine points of her own to go along with a team-best four steals, while Angela Vendrell and Lea Kerstein finished the game with five points apiece.

The first quarter was a shooters duel as the two teams traded buckets to begin the game before the Green and Gold used a 10-0 run over a five-minute span to take a 15-8 lead with 2:36 to play in the opening stanza.

Southern Illinois (1-1) came out swinging in the second quarter, cutting the lead to just one point on three different occasions before Childress hit two big free throws with two seconds left in the half to give the Blazers a 38-35 edge heading into the break.

Childress took over in the third quarter, scoring 12 of her 29 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting effort from behind the arc to give UAB a 63-48 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the game. Two of those 3-pointers helped spark a 10-2 run to help the Blazers pull away.

The Green and Gold's lead stayed in double digits for nearly seven minutes in the final stanza before Southern Illinois was able to cut the UAB lead to 69-61 with 3:04 left in the game.

However, five points from Childress and two clutch free throws by Barnes in the final 1:42 of the game were enough to hold off a Salukis comeback and secure the 76-66 victory.

UAB closes out its three-game homestand on Wednesday as the Green and Gold welcomes Miles College to Bartow Arena at 6 p.m. Fans in attendance will receive a superhero cape upon entrance to the arena as the Blazers celebrate Superhero Night.

For more information on the UAB women's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), Instagram (UAB_WBBALL) or like them on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).