The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
2017-18 Women's Basketball Roster
Kerstein, Lea

Jersey Number 23
Lea Kerstein
- Height:
- 5-8
- Class:
- Redshirt Freshman
- Hometown:
- West Chicago, Ill.
- High School:
- Montini Catholic HS
Bio
2019-20 (Redshirt Junior)
- Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
- Played in 26 games averaging 7.9 minutes per game as a redshirt junior
- Scored in double-figures twice with a season high 15 points against UTSA (Jan. 30) and 13 points at UTSA (Feb. 29)
- Went a career best 4-for-5 from 3-point range against the Roadrunners (Jan. 30)
- Hit the game winning three with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to beat Old Dominion (March 5), handing the Monarchs their only home loss of the season
- Helped UAB set a single-season school record for 3-point FG percentage (38.1%)
2018-19 Season (Redshirt Sophomore)
- Appeared in 30 games
- Netted a career high 16 points at UTEP (Jan. 17) on a career best six field goals, including four 3-pointers
- Turned in her first double figure scoring performance against McNeese State (Dec. 8) on a 4-for-5 game from beyond the arc
- Matched her career high of four rebounds on two occasions: vs. Coppin State (Dec. 20) and in the regular season finale at Louisiana Tech (March 7)
- Also dished out a career high six assists at Louisiana Tech
- Played a career high 20 minutes in UAB’s second round of the WNIT Tournament game at Arkansas (March 24)
- Helped UAB to setting the program record for 3-pointers in a season (291), 3-point field goals attempted (811), the third best field goal percentage from long range (35.9 percent) and fifth best free throw percentage (72.0 percent)
- Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
2017-18 (Redshirt Freshman)
- Appeared in 28 games
- Helped the team to 27 total wins and 13 wins in C-USA play, both program records
- Helped win the program’s first-ever C-USA Regular Season Championship
- Member of the first UAB squad to play in the postseason since 2010-11
- Helped the Blazers to a 60-50 win over Chattanooga in the first round of the WNIT, the team’s first postseason victory since winning the WBI title game, 68-60, over Cal
State Bakersfield on March 27, 2011 and its first win in the WNIT since an 81-77 decision
over Davidson on March 15, 2007
- Shot 26.3 percent from long range (15-for-57)
- Part of the UAB team that set the program record for 3-point field goal percentage (37.6) and set the school record for made 3-point field goals (267)
- Scored a career-best eight points against Rice (02/15/18)
- Hit a career-high two triples in four games, with the most recent coming against Charlotte (02/17/18)
- Named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
2016-17 (Freshman)
- Redshirt
- Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
High School
- Earned the Daily Herald’s MVP award her senior year
- Joined the elite 1,000-point club on senior night in 2015-16
- Guided Montini Catholic to the championship of the Montini Christmas Tournament, the toughest holiday tourney in Illinois, where she garnered first-team all-tournament honors after scoring in double figures in all three games, including 19 points in the quarterfinals
- Led the Broncos to a third place finish in the 2014-15 IHSA Girls Basketball Championship, their sixth-straight trip to the state basketball tournament
- Was the team’s second leading scorer with 9.3 points per game in 2014-15 season
- Named to the Daily Herald's DuPage County All-Area Girls Basketball Team in 2015
- Garnered Associated Press IHSA honorable mention honors (Class 4A)
- Was a member of Montini's student government
Personal
-Daughter of Shirley and Ron Kerstein
-Born October 6, 1997
-Has two brothers, Chris and Adam, and one sister, Taylor
-Majoring in Communication Studies.
- Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
- Played in 26 games averaging 7.9 minutes per game as a redshirt junior
- Scored in double-figures twice with a season high 15 points against UTSA (Jan. 30) and 13 points at UTSA (Feb. 29)
- Went a career best 4-for-5 from 3-point range against the Roadrunners (Jan. 30)
- Hit the game winning three with 0.4 seconds left in overtime to beat Old Dominion (March 5), handing the Monarchs their only home loss of the season
- Helped UAB set a single-season school record for 3-point FG percentage (38.1%)
2018-19 Season (Redshirt Sophomore)
- Appeared in 30 games
- Netted a career high 16 points at UTEP (Jan. 17) on a career best six field goals, including four 3-pointers
- Turned in her first double figure scoring performance against McNeese State (Dec. 8) on a 4-for-5 game from beyond the arc
- Matched her career high of four rebounds on two occasions: vs. Coppin State (Dec. 20) and in the regular season finale at Louisiana Tech (March 7)
- Also dished out a career high six assists at Louisiana Tech
- Played a career high 20 minutes in UAB’s second round of the WNIT Tournament game at Arkansas (March 24)
- Helped UAB to setting the program record for 3-pointers in a season (291), 3-point field goals attempted (811), the third best field goal percentage from long range (35.9 percent) and fifth best free throw percentage (72.0 percent)
- Named to the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
2017-18 (Redshirt Freshman)
- Appeared in 28 games
- Helped the team to 27 total wins and 13 wins in C-USA play, both program records
- Helped win the program’s first-ever C-USA Regular Season Championship
- Member of the first UAB squad to play in the postseason since 2010-11
- Helped the Blazers to a 60-50 win over Chattanooga in the first round of the WNIT, the team’s first postseason victory since winning the WBI title game, 68-60, over Cal
State Bakersfield on March 27, 2011 and its first win in the WNIT since an 81-77 decision
over Davidson on March 15, 2007
- Shot 26.3 percent from long range (15-for-57)
- Part of the UAB team that set the program record for 3-point field goal percentage (37.6) and set the school record for made 3-point field goals (267)
- Scored a career-best eight points against Rice (02/15/18)
- Hit a career-high two triples in four games, with the most recent coming against Charlotte (02/17/18)
- Named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
2016-17 (Freshman)
- Redshirt
- Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll
High School
- Earned the Daily Herald’s MVP award her senior year
- Joined the elite 1,000-point club on senior night in 2015-16
- Guided Montini Catholic to the championship of the Montini Christmas Tournament, the toughest holiday tourney in Illinois, where she garnered first-team all-tournament honors after scoring in double figures in all three games, including 19 points in the quarterfinals
- Led the Broncos to a third place finish in the 2014-15 IHSA Girls Basketball Championship, their sixth-straight trip to the state basketball tournament
- Was the team’s second leading scorer with 9.3 points per game in 2014-15 season
- Named to the Daily Herald's DuPage County All-Area Girls Basketball Team in 2015
- Garnered Associated Press IHSA honorable mention honors (Class 4A)
- Was a member of Montini's student government
Personal
-Daughter of Shirley and Ron Kerstein
-Born October 6, 1997
-Has two brothers, Chris and Adam, and one sister, Taylor
-Majoring in Communication Studies.
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