UAB Falls to Middle Tennessee in Conference USA Semifinals

Friday, March 15

Frisco, Texas

8 p.m.

UAB

25-6

Middle Tennessee

22-9

Middle Tennessee

UAB

UAB Falls to Middle Tennessee in Conference USA Semifinals

3/15/2019 11:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

FRISCO, Texas – A 34-point performance was too much to overpower as the UAB women's basketball team fell 75-65 to Middle Tennessee in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament on Friday night at the Ford Center.

UAB (25-6) finishes in a tie for third place in the C-USA Tournament after finishing in second place in the regular season standings.

"Obviously that did not turn out the way we wanted," head coach Randy Norton said. "I am really disappointed for this team, I love coaching them. I know that they had their minds set on making it to the NCAA Tournament but it just was not meant to be tonight. I credit Middle Tennessee who had some great individual performances and we just did not play good enough and sometimes that happens. But the thing that I want to talk about with our team is that they never quit fighting, they fought until the end. They could have easily quit when we got down 15 in the third quarter and they came back and cut it to six. We got back into the game but Middle Tennessee made enough plays in crunch time."

Miyah Barnes led UAB in scoring for the second consecutive night, netting 21 points with three 3-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 game at the free throw line. In UAB's two C-USA Tournament games Barnes combined for 42 points and eight triples, while dishing out six assists and registered a steal.

Deanna Kuzmanic and Katelynn Thomas also found the digit scoring column with 18 and 11 points, respectively. Kuzmanic found seven of her points at the free throw line, finishing a perfect 7-for-7 at the charity stripe and also added five field goals. Thomas, one of the league's leaders in field goal percentage, went 4-for-9 from the field.

Middle Tennessee struck first, opening the game on a 5-0 run before Thomas hit UAB's first field goal over two minutes into the game. Rachael Childress hit a pair of free throws to cut the Blue Raider lead to one, before Barnes gave the game its first tie with 3:49 to play in the first quarter. Thomas gave UAB its first lead, 16-14, with 2:24 to play in the period, but a free throw from Hayes with 1:07 to play the first quarter left the game tied at 17.

Kuzmanic opened the second quarter with a jumper to put the Blazers ahead that Barnes would push to five points, 24-19, with a 3-pointer with 7:49 to play in the half. Middle Tennessee went on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 28 with five minutes to play the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Angela Vendrell gave UAB back the lead. The Blue Raiders closed the first half on a 5-0 run to lead 37-36 at the break.

The Blue Raiders opened the second half on an 11-2 run, pushing their lead to eight just four minutes into the third period. A 4-0 run from Thomas cut Middle Tennessee's lead to four, but that would be as close the Blazers would get in third period as Hayes responded with her on 4-0 run to give Middle Tennessee a 56-48 advantage to take into the fourth quarter.

Middle Tennessee once again opened a quarter on a run, going on a 7-0 stretch at the beginning of the fourth quarter, grabbing its largest lead of the game at 15 with 7:50 to play in the contest. UAB's final run came midway through the fourth quarter as Kuzmanic hit a layup with 2:42 to play, pulling UAB within six, but the deficit was too much to overcome as Middle Tennessee locked up the victory and a spot in the C-USA Title Game.

UAB now awaits to find out its postseason destination as the NCAA Tournament and WNIT selection shows are Monday night.

For more information on the UAB women's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_WBB), on Instagram (UAB_WBBall) or like them Facebook (Facebook.com/UABWBB).