Blazers to Face UTSA in Regular Season Finale

SAN ANTONIO – The UAB women's basketball team looks to continue to build momentum heading into next week's Conference USA Tournament as it makes the short trip from Denton to San Antonio to take on UTSA in the regular-season finale on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Blazers (23-5, 12-3) currently sit atop the C-USA standings with WKU and hold the tiebreaker over the Lady Toppers after the Green and Gold's 79-61 win on Jan. 13. A win over UTSA would match the most wins in program history (24) and give the Blazers' their most-ever conference wins (13).

"With Saturday's game, our focus will be no different than it has been all year," head coach Randy Norton said. "We want to go in and play 40 minutes of UAB Basketball."

UAB kicked off the weekend in style, toppling North Texas 69-51 on Thursday evening for its program-best 10^th road win of the season. Four Blazers finished the game in double figures, paced by 16 points from sophomore Rachael Childress.

Fellow sophomore Angela Vendrell was arguably the Blazers' most well-rounded player in the win, finishing the game with 10 points, seven blocks and six rebounds. Vendrell's seven swats tied the school record for the most blocks in a single game and moved her into a tie for fifth place for the most blocks in a single season.

Kara Rawls finished one rebound shy of her fifth double-double of the year, scoring 13 points and bringing down nine boards, while Miyah Barnes added 10 points and a game-high five assists.

Childress continues to lead the offense, averaging 13.9 points per game courtesy of a league-leading 45.2 3-point field goal percentage. Her efforts from long range have been a key factor in the Blazers' 39.5 percent effort from behind the arc, the sixth-best 3-point field goal percentage in the NCAA.

Junior Deanna Kuzmanic and Barnes remain at the top of the league in assist/turnover ratio as the duo is tied for second in C-USA in that category with a 2.2 ratio. The pair has guided the Blazers to the 10^th-best assist/turnover ratio in the nation at 1.4 and the 13^th-most assists per game in the NCAA at 17.8.

Barnes' 136 assists this season is the ninth most in a single season in school history and with the addition of Kuzmanic's 105 assists, the Blazers have amassed 497 assists on the year, breaking into the top-5 for most assists in a single season. The Blazers need 41 more to match the school record of 538.

UTSA enters Saturday's game riding a three-game winning streak, including a 62-58 upset of Rice in its last game out. Karrington Donald paced four Roadrunners in double figures with 15 points in the win.

Crystal Chidomere serves as UTSA's offensive leader, guiding the team with 14.5 points per contest. Marie Benson comes in just behind Chidomere, averaging 14.1 points per game and a team-best 9.3 rebounds per contest. The pair ranks No. 10 and No. 15, respectively, in scoring in C-USA.

Both teams will be looking to break the tie in the all-time series on Saturday, which currently sits at 2-2. UTSA has had the edge as of late between the two programs, winning the last two meetings, including an 82-67 win last season. A win on Saturday would be the Blazers' first win over the Roadrunners since 2015 and their first-ever win in San Antonio (0-2).

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).

Blazers to Face UTSA in Regular Season Finale

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Players Mentioned

Miyah Barnes

Rachael Childress

Deanna Kuzmanic

Kara Rawls

Angela Vendrell

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics