Blazers Eclipse 100 Point Mark in Exhibition Finale

Saturday, November 3

Birmingham, Ala.

12 p.m.

UAB

101

Young Harris

Blazers Eclipse 100 Point Mark in Exhibition Finale

11/3/2018 2:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball

BIRMINGHAM – The UAB women's basketball team wrapped up exhibition play with a 101-37 victory over Young Harris in the preseason finale on Saturday afternoon at Bartow Arena.

The Blazers shot 54.8 percent (17-of-31) from the 3-point line, with senior Deanna Kuzmanic finishing a perfect 5-of-5 from long range.

"I am very pleased," head coach Randy Norton said. "As I told the ladies in the locker room, the most difficult thing about a game like this is getting everyone some playing time, but also getting the kids in the rotation ready for our game next Friday. We tried to balance that and I think we did a good job because nobody played more than 20 minutes. We were really sharp top to bottom."

In a game that the Blazers never trailed in, they got off to a hot start and jumped out to a 12-4 lead at the first media timeout. The success continued as UAB drained three of its 17 3-pointers in the final 3:30 of the first quarter to lead 21-10 after the opening frame.

Miyah Barnes opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. The long-range shot continued to fall for the Blazers as they hit four more in the quarter, while the defense held the Mountain Lions to just six points. UAB went into halftime leading 48-16.

The Blazers opened the second half on an 11-4 run before the media timeout as 3-pointers continued to fall, with UAB hitting three more in the third quarter to take a 69-25 lead into the final period.

UAB put the finishing touches on the win in the final 10 minutes, outscoring Young Harris 32-12 in the fourth quarter. Talia Roldan lifted the Blazers over the 100-point mark with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.

"You have to take away the score," Norton said. "Today was one of those situations where we were probably going to win the game, but our focus was not on that. Our focus was on being our best, it was our last dress rehearsal before the real season starts so we were looking for particular things on defense. We did a great job of making sure the other team was one-and-done and we did well because they only got seven offensive rebounds. All in all, I was very pleased. We shared the basketball, had 26 assists and only 11 turnovers. We're ready now for the non-conference season, our girls are ready to go I think and we hope to have a great week of practice."

Kuzmanic finished with a game-high 18 points, as 13 Blazers scored in the contest. Kuzmanic also reeled in three rebounds and dished out four assists.

Rachael Childress, Margaret Whitley and Katelynn Thomas also scored in double figures. Childress, Whitley and Kuzmanic reached double figures in both of UAB's exhibition contests.

Freshman Sara Rosenfeldt led the Blazers on the boards, reeling in nine rebounds. She also added a pair of points, a steal and an assist.

UAB now turns its attention to the regular season, as it welcomes Appalachian State on Friday, Nov. 9. Tip between the Blazers and Mountaineers is slated for 6 p.m. at Bartow Arena.

Women's basketball season tickets are available by purchasing the 2018-19 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card includes access to home volleyball, baseball and softball games in addition to all 14 women's basketball home contests. Contact the UAB Ticket Office, (205) 975-UAB1, for more details.

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