BIRMINGHAM – Coming off its first conference win of the season against Old Dominion the UAB women’s basketball team makes the trip to Kentucky to face WKU Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at E.A. Diddle Arena.
UAB (9-5, 1-1 C-USA) pulled out its best defensive performance of the season against then conference leader Old Dominion. The Blazers held the Monarchs to 16.7 percent shooting in the first half which would prove the difference in the 76-65 victory.
Imani Johnson came up big off the bench for the Blazers scoring 17 points with 7 rebounds, most of which came in the fourth quarter. The senior missed four games in December due to injury and saw her first action since Dec. 15 against Charlotte last Thursday. Johnson is a crucial player off the bench for the Green and Gold averaging 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Rachael Childress continued to show why she is one of the best shooters in the country scoring 17 points against Old Dominion. The NCAA’s active career three-point leader did so unconventionally for her, showing off her midrange shot going 7-11 from the field with only two triples. Childress is averaging a league leading 17.9 points per game this season. In the last six games she has averaged 20.0 points with 4.7 threes per game.
WKU (8-5, 0-2 C-USA) may be off to a slow start in C-USA play but the Hilltoppers have not been at home since Dec. 4 when they defeated Oklahoma 76-63. The Lady Toppers went 2-3 in their month-long road trip with three straight losses at Purdue, North Texas and Rice.
The Hilltoppers are hungry for a victory and have the offensive power to turn any game into a shootout. WKU has the second-best offense in the league, behind UAB, averaging 73.0 points per game. The well-rounded squad is also averaging 10.8 steals per game, the most in C-USA, with a 4.0 turnover margin.
Raneem Elgedawy leads the Hilltoppers in scoring (17.2) and rebounds (10.1) which are both third best in the league. The 6-4 junior from Alexandria, Egypt was named C-USA player of the week on Dec. 2 after posting a pair of double-doubles over Thanksgiving weekend.
Dee Givens earned WKU back-to-back player of the week honors when she took home the award on Dec. 9 with an incredible 41-point performance in an overtime win over Ball State. The redshirt senior is averaging 15.6 points per game and is tied for the team high with 26 steals.
“WKU has an outstanding team that is well coached,” said head coach Randy Norton. “They are one of the top scoring teams in the league and in order for our team to be successful we will need to defend and rebound.”
The Blazers and Hilltoppers have met 24 times with WKU leading the series a lopsided 18-6. The Blazers are 2-6 against WKU in the Randy Norton era, each of those wins coming in the last two seasons.
UAB claimed the most recent meeting against the Hilltoppers in a 70-63 victory in February at Bartow Arena. Miyah Barnes led the Blazers with 19 points and six assists while Childress scored 14 points with four triples.
Fans can follow the game with live stats on WKUSports.com or view the live video stream on CUSA.tv.
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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