UAB Set to Host Middle Tennessee in Midday Clash

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Amid one of the best home campaigns in program history, the UAB women's basketball team prepares for the first of its final two home contests as it welcomes Middle Tennessee to Bartow Arena on Thursday for an 11 a.m. (CST) tip.

UAB (21-4, 10-2) is an impressive 11-2 on its home court this season, tied for the third most home wins in program history, while matching the most home victories under head coach Randy Norton.

With four games remaining in the regular season, UAB holds a half game lead over WKU for the top spot in the Conference USA standings, eyeing its first-ever C-USA title and the program's first title since winning the Great Midwest regular season crown in 1993-94.

"We have had a great week of practice and our girls have been extremely locked in," head coach Randy Norton said. "One thing that we have noticed is that when we come off a tough loss, our girls are really engaged. You hate for that to have to happen, but at the end of the day, we want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the season."

The Blazers are coming off a tough 80-71 home defeat to Charlotte despite a gritty 23-point effort from junior Deanna Kuzmanic. Senior Kara Rawls added 11 points and 17 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season in the loss.

Sophomore Rachael Childress continues to pace the offense, averaging 14.6 points per contest, the 10^th-most points in C-USA. Childress' 3-point shooting remains her bread and butter, as she is recording the fourth-best 3-point field goal percentage in the NCAA (47.2) and the 14^th-most made 3-pointers per game (3.4).

With the help of Childress' sharp-shooting from deep, the Blazers are now seven 3-pointers shy of matching the school record for most triples in a single season (219), while the team is on pace to break the school record for 3-point field goal percentage which it set last season by shooting 37.3 percent from long range.

Assist/turnover ratio has also been a hot topic for UAB this season as it leads C-USA and is No. 4 in the NCAA in that category with a 1.5 ratio. Kuzmanic anchors the team with a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio, good for tops in the conference, while Miyah Barnes' ratio of 2.4 is tied for second in C-USA.

Barnes has been the team's assist leader this year with 124, just two shy of breaking into the top-10 for assists in a single season. The Blazers have dished out 460 assists on the season, needing 34 to break into the top-5 for the most assists in a season by a team.

Middle Tennessee (16-10, 8-5) is coming off a 51-41 home win over Rice last Saturday. Anna Jones led the way for the Lady Raiders, while Abby Sissom added 11 points of her own.

Sissom has been the Lady Raiders' most productive offensive player, leading the team with 12.0 points per game. Alex Johnson joins Sissom as the only other Lady Raider in double figures, adding 11.3 points per game.

The two programs will meet for the second time this season and the 17^th time in program history, with Middle Tennessee holding a 10-6 edge in the all-time series. In January's meeting, UAB emerged Murfreesboro with a win for the first time since 2015 after winning the game 59-51.

Single game tickets for 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.

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 Set to Host Middle Tennessee in Midday Clash

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Players Mentioned

Miyah Barnes

Rachael Childress

Deanna Kuzmanic

Kara Rawls

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics