UAB Wins Fourth-Straight Game Over Rivals Samford, 77-53

Thursday, December 7

Bartow Arena

6:00 P.M.

UAB

7-1

Samford

3-6

SAM

UAB

UAB Wins Fourth-Straight Game Over Rivals Samford, 77-53

12/7/2017 9:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB women's basketball team opened an insurmountable lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the high-flying Blazers won their fourth-straight game by taking down crosstown rivals Samford, 77-53, in Bartow Arena on Thursday.

Sophomore Miyah Barnes paced the balanced UAB attack in the victory, scoring a team-high 14 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting from the field.

UAB (7-1) is off to its best start since 2012-13 when the Green and Gold also started the year 7-1. UAB is riding its first four-game winning streak since winning five-straight games in 2015-16.

"I thought we looked really good at times tonight," head coach Randy Norton said. "We were very efficient and we did a great job of sharing the basketball. I also thought we were really good playing inside-out. We did not shoot the ball very well from behind the arc, but I think we proved in the last couple of games that we do not just have to shoot 3-pointers. It was a great a team win for us."

Rachael Childress scored in double figures for the seventh time this season, pouring in 13 points in the win, while Deanna Kuzmanic and Katelynn Thomas added 11 points and 10 points, respectively. It is the third game this season that UAB has had four players score at least 10 points.

Sophomore Angela Vendrell was instrumental away from the basket, leading the team in both rebounds (8) and assists (5), while freshman Talia Roldan posted a career-high 6 points off the bench.

The Green and Gold proved why they are one of the most unselfish teams in the league as the Blazers recorded 20 assists to just 10 turnovers against the Bulldogs. Rebounding was also a big factor in the win as UAB outrebounded Samford, 37-25, including an 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass.

UAB stormed out of the gate once again, using an 11-0 run to force a Samford timeout at the 6:32 mark and finishing the quarter with a 23-6 advantage. The Blazers' impressive opening quarter was a total team effort as eight of the 10 players who saw the court recorded points, led by five points from Barnes.

Samford (3-6) found some offense in the second half as the visitors cut the lead to 29-20 with 4:54 in the half after a made layup by Hannah Nichols, forcing UAB to burn a timeout. The Blazers responded well after the stoppage in play, using a 10-0 run over the final 3:42 of the quarter to take a 39-20 lead into the locker room.

The Bulldogs hung around for much of the third quarter until a Barnes 3-pointer late in the period opened a 49-28 lead for the Blazers. However, the Bulldogs had other plans as they scored two quick baskets to cut the lead to 49-32 heading into the final stanza.

It was all UAB in the fourth quarter as the Blazers shot a dominant 76 percent (10-for-13) from the floor. The Blazers eclipsed the 20-point threshold at the 7:00 mark as Childress buried a triple to push the lead to 63-41.
From there, the lead never dipped below 20 points and was a high as 75-49 courtesy of a Roldan layup with 2:31 to play as the Blazers cruised on to take down the Bulldogs 77-53.

UAB will hit the road once again as the Green and Gold make the journey up Corridor X to take on former Conference USA-rival Memphis. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.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).