UAB Falls to WKU, 72-57, in Conference USA Championship

Saturday, March 10

Frisco, Texas

4:30 p.m.

UAB

26-6

WKU

24-8

WKU

UAB

UAB Falls to WKU, 72-57, in Conference USA Championship

3/10/2018 8:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

FRISCO, Texas – The UAB women's basketball team gave all it could for 40 minutes but could not get its shots to fall in the second half as the Blazers fell to Western Kentucky, 72-57, in the Conference USA Championship game on Saturday afternoon.

Having already earned an automatic bid into the WNIT after winning the Conference USA Regular Season title, UAB (26-6, 13-3) now awaits its opponent for the First Round of the national tournament. The bracket for the WNIT is set to be announced late on Monday evening.

"I am really proud of our team," head coach Randy Norton said. "They had an outstanding season. Our girls left it all on the court tonight and it is a blessing to know that we still get to play more basketball. This is all part of the process. We have a lot of young kids that haven't been through this before. We will help them heal and get through this and then we will get ready to play some more basketball."

Rachael Childress led the way for the Blazers, finishing the game with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. The sophomore averaged 16.3 points per game in the tournament en route to being named to the All-Tournament Team, becoming the sixth player in program history to earn a spot on the team and the first since Tamika Dukes and Jala Harris earned the honor in the 2009-10 season.

She also broke the school record for most 3-pointers in a single season, using four on the night to improve to 105 on the year. The previous record was 103 made 3-pointers, set by Amanda Peterson in the 2010-11 season.

Fellow sophomore Katleynn Thomas nearly recorded a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Deanna Kuzmanic finished the tournament with her third double-digit performance with 11 points. Kara Rawls also posted a strong game, adding in six points and seven boards.

WKU (24-8, 12-4) found its success on the glass, outrebounding UAB 45-33 and outscoring the Blazers, 19-5, in second-chance points. The Blazers' bench kept the game within reach throughout the game, outscoring the Lady Toppers, 18-9, in that category.

Tashia Brown paced four Lady Toppers in double figures with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Ivy Brown finished the game with a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.

WKU used a 13-1 run midway through the opening period of play to open a 15-5 lead, with eight of those points in the run coming from I. Brown. The Blazers put up a strong fight to get back into the game, cutting the lead to 19-15 with under two minutes in the quarter, but could not get over the hump in the first.

A Thomas layup at the 6:59 mark of the second period cut the lead to 28-25 and gave the Blazers some momentum before T. Brown rattled off 11 of her 13 points to put WKU ahead, 42-33, at the break.

UAB dug deep again in the third period, using a 9-0 run capped off by a Vendrell 3-pointer late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 48-47. The Blazers had some good looks to tie up the game, but a late 7-0 run from the visitors opened a 55-48 game with 10 minutes to play. Needing a big fourth quarter to get back in the game, the Blazers gave their all but could not get their shots to go down, shooting 23.5 percent in the final frame before falling to the Lady Toppers, 72-57.

UAB now turns its attention to WNIT preparation, where it awaits its opponent for the First Round of the tournament. First Round action will be played from March 14-16. More information on UAB's WNIT trip will be available following the announcement on Monday at uabsports.com.

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).