BIRMINGHAM – UAB shot 55.9 percent from the field, 53.8 percent from three and a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe in its 92-73 win over FAU Saturday afternoon at Bartow Arena.
Rachael Childress knocked down seven triples on her way to 23 points to lead the Green and Gold in scoring. Junior Zakyia Weathersby added 17 points off the bench and tallied two blocks on the defensive end. Angela Vendrell came close to a double-double with nine points and 11 assists.
UAB (11-7, 3-3 C-USA) got out to an expeditious start in the first quarter recording a season high 33 points in the first 10 minutes. The Blazers took the 9-3 lead early after two threes from Childress and a bucket and one from Vendrell who forced a steal and was fouled on the fast break layup. After a couple of baskets from FAU the Blazers sparked another run as Weathersby checked into the game and scored eight straight points to make it 22-9. UAB recorded six triples in the quarter with three from Childress, one from Margaret Whitley and two from Miyah Barnes including a buzzer beater to cap off the first quarter.
FAU (8-9, 2-4 C-USA) scored the first five points of the second quarter before the Blazers began adding to their lead. Crystal Primm scored nine of the Owl’s 20 points in the quarter. UAB would add four more threes in the second with two apiece from Trista Magee and Childress to take the 55-33 lead into halftime.
The Owl’s struck first in the third quarter with a three from Primm but was immediately answered by a three from Childress. Childress knocked down another triple seconds later to give the senior a total of seven threes on the afternoon. The Blazers continued to put up points adding 26 more in the third quarter off 52.9 percent shooting to take a commanding 81-56 lead into the final 10 minutes.
The UAB offense was stifled in the fourth as the Owls implemented a suffocating full court press that resulted in a 12-0 run for FAU. However, the UAB lead was too large for the Owls to overcome as the Blazers walked away with the 92-73 win.
“I am very proud of our team’s effort today,” said head coach Randy Norton. “We set the tone early and played really well most of the game. It is always big to get two wins in a row in this league and we hope to build on that.”
Five Blazers scored double figures Childress (23), Weathersby (17), Barnes (16), Magee (11) and Imani Johnson (10). UAB forced 16 turnovers resulting in 24 points including eight fast break points. The Blazers defense held FAU to below 40 percent shooting on the day. The Owls went to the line 28 times resulting in 21 points. Primm lead all scorers with a double-double of 30 points and 12 rebounds.
UAB will travel to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech next week for another conference road trip.
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).
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