HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – UAB women’s basketball dropped its second straight conference contest on the road at Marshall 61-56.
The UAB offense uncharacteristically struggled to find a rhythm shooting just 31.0 percent from the field on the afternoon.
UAB (9-7, 1-3 C-USA) got off to a slow start scoring only 11 points off 23.5 percent shooting in the first quarter. The Blazers had a difficult time getting anything to fall with just four field goals off 17 attempts in the first 10 minutes.
Marshall (7-8, 2-2 C-USA) outscored the Blazers 11-9 in the second quarter despite shooting just 23.1 percent from the field. The Herd knocked down three triples in the quarter to take the 26-20 lead at half.
Trista Magee scored the first five points out of halftime with a layup and a three to narrow the lead to one. UAB outscored Marshall in the third but went into the final 10 minutes of play down two after a late basket by the Herd.
Back-to-back threes from Rachael Childress and Angela Vendrell knotted the game at 44-44 with six minutes remaining. Marshall would answer back with five straight points to retake control of the game. UAB was able to pull within two late in the fourth quarter but could not get a shot to fall to tie the game again and force overtime.
“We had some bad defensive breakdowns and it really hurt us on a day where the ball didn’t go in for us,” said head coach Randy Norton. “Winning games on the road is extremely challenging in Conference USA and our team has to figure out ways to win those games. We faced some adversity for the first time in a long time. How we respond to this will tell us a lot about our character.”
Both teams struggled offensively with neither side shooting above 35 percent in the game. However, Marshall converted 19 of 22 free throws on the afternoon while UAB finished 12-16 from the line. The Blazers knotted the score five times throughout the game but never managed to gain the lead over the Herd who found an answer to every UAB score.
Childress and Miyah Barnes finished with 10 points while Vendrell recorded nine and gathered 12 boards. Imani Johnson also scored nine points for the Blazers.
Taylor Pearson led all scorers with 17 points for Marshall and Savannah Wheeler added 15 points of her own. Ashley Saintigene tallied three blocks and one steal on the defensive end for the Herd.
UAB will host FIU and Florida Atlantic next Thursday and Saturday at Bartow Arena.
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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