The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Friday, November 8
Birmingham, Ala.
4:00 p.m.
UAB
vs
South Alabama
UAB Opens the Season with South Alabama at Home Friday Afternoon
11/7/2019 3:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM- The 2019-20 season will officially be underway for UAB on Friday at 4 p.m. as the Blazers host South Alabama for the first round of the Preseason WNIT at Bartow Arena.
UAB returns 11 letter winners including six seniors and four starters. After winning 25+ games in back-to-back seasons the Blazers have their eyes set on winning the Conference Championship and more importantly the Conference Tournament.
"We are all excited to tip off the season in front of our home crowd," said head coach Randy Norton. "We have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and now we get to go out and compete."
The Blazers were picked to finish fourth in the league behind defending champion Rice, Middle Tennessee and WKU. Seniors Miyah Barnes and Rachael Childress were selected to the All-Conference USA Preseason Team.
Last month, Barnes was named one of twenty on the Nancy Lieberman Watch List, which is given to the top point guard in the country. A season ago, she was the conference leader in assists (158) and sixth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio (3.5) while averaging 10.9 points per game for the Blazers. She is just nine points shy of joining the 1,000-point club on her career.
Childress comes into the season as the NCAA active career leader in three-pointers made with 312. She led C-USA in three pointers made and was eighth overall in the country with 110 triples in 2018-19.
South Alabama went 25-11 a season ago with a trip to the WNIT in which they advanced to the second round, much like the Blazers, before falling to Wyoming.
The Jaguars return their top four scorers from a season ago. Junior Antoinette Lewis led the team with 14.9 points per game while also reeling in a team high 9.2 rebounds and 41 steals. Redshirt junior Savannah Jones was second on the team with 14.5 points per game, and behind her was Shaforia Kines (12.9) and Damaya Telemaque (8.9).
South Alabama enters the matchup with a game under its belt after facing Rutgers Tuesday night in Mobile. The Jaguars fell to the Scarlet Knights 77-56 but Kines, Telemaque and Lewis each recorded double-digit scoring performances while the team struggled shooting the ball at just 27.4% from the field.
"South Alabama is a great team and is extremely well coached," added Norton. "We look forward to starting this new journey at home and want to encourage all the Blazer fans to come support this special team."
The in-state opponents have matched up 44 times before with UAB leading the series 27-17 and winning four straight against South Alabama. The last meeting between the two teams was Dec. 21, 2017 when UAB topped USA 78-66. Childress dropped 27 points with seven made 3-pointers in the matchup while Barnes put up 17 points and four assists. The Blazers are a perfect 4-0 against the Jaguars since head coach Randy Norton got to Birmingham.
Tip-off is at 4 p.m. with doors opening an hour before game time. The game will be streamed live on CUSAtv, and live stats will be available on UABSports.com. Fans who purchase a ticket to the women's basketball game will also be granted entry to the volleyball game against Southern Miss following the conclusion of the game.
Secure your women's basketball season tickets by purchasing the 2019-20 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB) and Instagram (UAB_WBBall).
UAB returns 11 letter winners including six seniors and four starters. After winning 25+ games in back-to-back seasons the Blazers have their eyes set on winning the Conference Championship and more importantly the Conference Tournament.
"We are all excited to tip off the season in front of our home crowd," said head coach Randy Norton. "We have put in a lot of work in the offseason, and now we get to go out and compete."
The Blazers were picked to finish fourth in the league behind defending champion Rice, Middle Tennessee and WKU. Seniors Miyah Barnes and Rachael Childress were selected to the All-Conference USA Preseason Team.
Last month, Barnes was named one of twenty on the Nancy Lieberman Watch List, which is given to the top point guard in the country. A season ago, she was the conference leader in assists (158) and sixth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio (3.5) while averaging 10.9 points per game for the Blazers. She is just nine points shy of joining the 1,000-point club on her career.
Childress comes into the season as the NCAA active career leader in three-pointers made with 312. She led C-USA in three pointers made and was eighth overall in the country with 110 triples in 2018-19.
South Alabama went 25-11 a season ago with a trip to the WNIT in which they advanced to the second round, much like the Blazers, before falling to Wyoming.
The Jaguars return their top four scorers from a season ago. Junior Antoinette Lewis led the team with 14.9 points per game while also reeling in a team high 9.2 rebounds and 41 steals. Redshirt junior Savannah Jones was second on the team with 14.5 points per game, and behind her was Shaforia Kines (12.9) and Damaya Telemaque (8.9).
South Alabama enters the matchup with a game under its belt after facing Rutgers Tuesday night in Mobile. The Jaguars fell to the Scarlet Knights 77-56 but Kines, Telemaque and Lewis each recorded double-digit scoring performances while the team struggled shooting the ball at just 27.4% from the field.
"South Alabama is a great team and is extremely well coached," added Norton. "We look forward to starting this new journey at home and want to encourage all the Blazer fans to come support this special team."
The in-state opponents have matched up 44 times before with UAB leading the series 27-17 and winning four straight against South Alabama. The last meeting between the two teams was Dec. 21, 2017 when UAB topped USA 78-66. Childress dropped 27 points with seven made 3-pointers in the matchup while Barnes put up 17 points and four assists. The Blazers are a perfect 4-0 against the Jaguars since head coach Randy Norton got to Birmingham.
Tip-off is at 4 p.m. with doors opening an hour before game time. The game will be streamed live on CUSAtv, and live stats will be available on UABSports.com. Fans who purchase a ticket to the women's basketball game will also be granted entry to the volleyball game against Southern Miss following the conclusion of the game.
Secure your women's basketball season tickets by purchasing the 2019-20 Gold Card for $65 here. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, baseball and softball events for the upcoming academic year. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB) and Instagram (UAB_WBBall).
Players Mentioned
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