UAB Welcomes Second Place Rice to Bartow Arena on Thursday

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With just six games remaining in the 2018 regular season, the Conference USA-leading UAB women's basketball team opens its final stretch of play with four-straight home competitions beginning on Thursday as the Blazers host second-ranked Rice in Bartow Arena at 6 p.m.

Entering Thursday's contest on a six-game winning streak, rv/- UAB (20-3, 9-1) looks for its 11^th home victory of the season, the most in the Randy Norton era, while it continues to battle for its first-ever C-USA crown.

The Blazers also find themselves receiving votes in the AP Top 25 for the first time under Norton after winning four of its last five games on the road, including impressive victories over UTEP and Louisiana Tech.

"This is an exciting time of the season," Norton said. "You have several teams competing for a conference championship and Rice is one of them. They have an excellent team and they are well coached. For us to be successful, we have to play UAB basketball. Defensively, we have to take away their transition and guard them extremely hard. Offensively, we just have to do what we do. This would be a great game for us to win and we are really excited about it."

UAB claimed win No. 20 on the season last Saturday after escaping Huntington, West Virginia with a 69-62 win over Marshall. The victory secured the Blazers' first 20-win season since 2010-11 and the ninth in program history.

Sophomore Rachael Childress continued her dominant run-of-form this season against the Thundering Herd, scoring 24 points in the victory. Childress has now eclipsed the 20-point plateau in five games this season, while scoring in double figures in 19 games.

Childress' hot shooting remains a staple in the Blazer attack as she is good for 14.9 points per game. Her 47.1 shooting percentage behind the arc is the seventh-best in the NCAA, while she is 12^th nationally in 3-pointers made.

Deanna Kuzmanic and Miyah Barnes round out the Blazers in double figures, averaging 12.9 points and 11.3 points, respectively. The duo has also been extremely efficient passing the ball as they are tied for the league lead in assist/turnover ratio at 2.5 as part of a 1.5 team assist/turnover ratio that is good for fourth in the nation.

The Blazer bench has also been a major force in the team's success, outscoring opponents 557-381 on the back of sophomore Imani Johnson, who's 180 points this season is good for 32.3 percent of the bench's output this year.

UAB ranks in the top-10 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (40.8), placing third behind Oregon State (41.7) and Maryland (41.0). The Green and Gold are also one of the most unselfish team's in the nation, dishing out 18.5 assists per contest, which ranks 11^th nationally.

Rice is coming off a big win over reigning Conference USA champion WKU, topping the Lady Toppers 78-58 in Houston. Sophomore Erica Ogwumike led the way for the Owls, earning her ninth double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds.

Ogwumike has been the Owls' top offensive threat this year, leading the team in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (9.5 rpg) and steals (2.0 spg). Nicole Iademarco (13.1 ppg), Olivia Ogwumike (10.7P and Wendy Knight (10.6) join Ogwumike in double figures this season.

The two teams will meet for the 14^th time on Thursday with UAB holding a slim 7-6 lead in the all-time series, including wins in the last three meetings. The most recent meeting between the programs came on January 8, 2017 when UAB claimed a 62-61 overtime victory in Bartow Arena.

Single game tickets for all four of the Blazers' remaining home games are currently on sale and can be purchased online or by calling the UAB Ticket Office at 205-975-8221. Fans can also purchase a Gold Card for admission to women's basketball games.

The Blazers will celebrate Tropical Thursday during the game with fans receiving a free tropical coaster upon entrance to Bartow Arena. UAB will also celebrate its student-athletes involved with SAAC during the game, while one lucky fan will have the chance to win $30,000 at halftime.

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).

UAB Welcomes Second Place Rice to Bartow Arena on Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Miyah Barnes

Rachael Childress

Imani Johnson

Deanna Kuzmanic

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics