Blazers Blow Past UC-Santa Barbara, 67-54

Saturday, November 25

San Francisco, Calif.

2:00 P.M.

UAB

4-1

UC Santa Barbara

1-4

UAB

UC Santa Barbara

Blazers Blow Past UC-Santa Barbara, 67-54

11/25/2017 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Moraga, Calif. – A 24-9 run to close out the second quarter followed by an offensive clinic in the fourth period propelled the UAB women's basketball team to a 67-54 win over UC-Santa Barbara in the Hilton Concord Classic on Saturday afternoon.

The Blazers are off to their best five-game start to a season at 4-1 since 2012-13 when the Green and Gold opened play with the same record, while the win gives the Blazers the first victory in the series against UCSB.

"First of all, I thought UC-Santa Barbara came out with a lot of fight and energy," head coach Randy Norton said. "We challenged our team to go above and beyond their energy and I thought our girls really responded. We were able to wear them down. It was a great team win."

Junior Deanna Kuzmanic erupted once again for the UAB offense, breaking her career high for scoring in her second-straight game with 24 points. The Mount Prospect, Illinois, native was also quick to share the ball, dishing out a team-best three assists to go along with two steals on the defensive end.

Her efforts in both games saw her named to the Hilton Concord Classic All-Tournament team.

"Deanna had a great tournament," Norton said. "Her performances are what I expect out of her. She has started every game for me and knows what is expected and I felt like she really played well this weekend."

Sophomore Miyah Barnes continued her domination in the tournament, finishing with a season-high 17 points to record her third-straight double-digit scoring performance. Barnes was especially good from behind the arc, as she finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 from deep.

Fellow starter Angela Vendrell fell just shy of a double-double for the second time this season, amassing eight points and matching her career-high rebound total with 12 against the Gauchos.

The bench once again played a big role for UAB, posting 14 points on the day. Imani Johnson led the way from the bench, finishing with six points and four rebounds, while Kara Rawls also added six points to go with six boards. Freshman Lea Kerstein rounded out the Blazers' scoring threat with two points.

As a team, the Blazers imposed their will on the glass, outrebounding the Gauchos 37-29. Points in the paint also played a huge role in the win as UAB outscored UCSB, 32-20.

UAB got off to a slow start in the first quarter and found itself down 16-10 after 10 minutes of action. UCSB extended its lead to 19-10 early in the second period and looked like they were not going to be stopped.

However, the Blazer offense kicked into high gear after the made bucket and went on to outscore the Gauchos 24-9 to close out the half and take a 34-28 lead into the break.

UCSB (1-4) pushed its way back into the game in the third quarter, tying the Blazers six times throughout the duration of the quarter, including a 48-48 score line at the end of the period.

It was the fourth quarter when UAB put on an offensive clinic to close out the game, outscoring UCSB 19-6 in the final period, with seven of those points coming from Kuzmanic, to seal the 67-54 victory.

"This trip was outstanding, from being able to experience San Francisco to the two games that we played," Norton added. "I watched the Indiana game on tape and I felt like that was a game that we could have won. But learning from that game really helped us out today, especially in rebounding the ball. It was just a great overall experience."

UAB continues its four-game road swing next weekend when the Green and Gold travels to North Carolina to take on Appalachian State on Dec. 1 and High Point on Dec. 3. Both games are schedule to tip at Noon ET/11 a.m. CST.

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).