BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Turnovers were the difference maker as UAB dropped its first conference road contest of the season to WKU 69-65 in front of a crowd of 5,122.
It was a battle of defensive plays and miscues in what was anticipated to be a shootout between the two top scoring offenses in C-USA. Rachael Childress led all scorers with 15 points and dished out three assists for the Blazers. Trista Magee and Katelynn Thomas each added 12 points for UAB. WKU was led by 14 points from Dee Givens and 12 a piece from Whitney Creech and Meral Abdelgawad.
WKU (9-5, 1-2 C-USA) jumped out to the early lead with a 7-2 run to open the game. The Blazers responded with free throws from Angela Vendrell and Thomas before another WKU run made it 14-6. The Green and Gold scored the next 10 points and a back-and-forth quarter would end tied up 20-20.
UAB (9-6, 1-2 C-USA) struggled to score to start the second quarter falling behind 30-23 until Childress knocked down three triples in a row to close the gap. The Blazers went into the half trailing 37-34 after a pair of late free throws from Lea Kerstein.
Magee opened the third quarter with a three to tie the game at 67-67 but the Blazers went cold for the next two minutes allowing WKU to regain the lead. With two minutes remaining in the third quarter Miyah Barnes recorder her first points of the day on a layup and followed up with a three to give UAB its first lead of the second half. WKU answered with a three to take a 52-50 lead at the end of three quarters of play.
UAB would take the 57-56 lead with 6:55 remaining in the game after a three from Magee and a layup from Thomas. Five straight points from WKU would put the Hilltoppers back in control. Magee cut the lead to three with a triple and then Imani Johnson took a charge on the defensive end to give the Blazers the ball back with a minute left. A free throw from Childress made it a two-point game with 51 seconds remaining. The UAB defense came up big forcing a shot clock violation with 21 seconds left in regulation and the Blazers down two. However, the WKU defense forced a jump ball with the possession arrow in the Hilltoppers’ favor to get the ball back with five seconds left. WKU knocked down two more free throws to ice the game defeating UAB, 69-65.
“Can’t fault our team’s effort and fight today,” said head coach Randy Norton. “We can’t afford to turn the ball over 18 times and spot them 18 points when each possession is critical. I am confident we will learn from this game and be ready Saturday against Marshall.”
UAB was held to under 70 points for just the third time this season. The Blazers turned the ball over a season high 18 times resulting in 18 points for the Hilltoppers and nine fast break points. WKU scored used its size to its advantage scoring 38 points in the paint. The Hilltoppers remain undefeated at home as the Blazers fall to 1-3 away.
The Blazers head to Marshall for the second leg of the conference road trip to face the Thundering Herd at 12 p.m. CST in Huntington, W. Va.
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.
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