BIRMINGHAM – Four different Blazers scored double figures as UAB defeated Old Dominion 76-65 to earn its first conference win of the season Saturday afternoon at Bartow Arena.
Seniors Imani Johnson and Rachael Childress led the way for the green and gold each scoring 17 points on the afternoon. Miyah Barnes added 13 points with five assists and Trista Magee recorded 11 points and five rebounds in the win.
UAB (9-5, 1-1 C-USA) put on a defensive display in the first half holding ODU to only seven points in the first quarter and nine in the second. The Blazers used a 10-0 run to build a 17-7 lead after one quarter with threes from Barnes, Margaret Whitley and Angela Vendrell.
Old Dominion (11-3, 1-1 C-USA) struggled to find any offense in the first half shooting just 16.7 percent in the first 20 minutes of play.
Childress began to heat up in the second quarter making back-to-back threes and scoring 11 of the Blazers 15 points in the quarter to put UAB up 32-16 at the half.
The second half began with a strong basket from Vendrell who drove the lane and took on two ODU defenders for the layup and the foul. Magee added a layup, a three pointer and a pair of free throws in the quarter to bring her total up to eight points on the night. Johnson began her take-over in the closing minutes of the third quarter with a pair of jump shots to give UAB the 23-point lead with 10 minutes left to play.
The Monarchs finally got their offense going in the fourth scoring the first six points of the quarter. ODU would score 34 in the final 10 minutes but the Blazers would hang on for the win off nine fourth quarter points from Johnson. Old Dominion pulled within nine points with 43 seconds remaining but a pair of free throws by Johnson helped ice the game for UAB.
“This was a big win for our team,” said head coach Randy Norton. “We really challenged our players after the Charlotte game to defend better and rebound the ball. I saw a team today that played with grit and toughness like they have never played before and it shows them what they are capable of doing. The bench was really the key to our game today, we had some tired players out there in the fourth quarter, but the bench was able to provide that extra spark we needed to get the job done.”
Old Dominion came into the contest allowing only 51.5 points and gathering 41.8 rebounds per game. The Blazers put up 76 points and out rebounded the Monarchs 43-35 on the afternoon. UAB converted 20 of 26 free throws with Johnson going 7-9 and Barnes going 6-6 from the charity stripe. Vendrell came close to another triple-double with a team leading nine rebounds and seven assists while adding nine points to her stat line.
The Monarchs were paced by Victoria Morris and Aziah Hudson who each recorded 12 points on the afternoon.
UAB will be on the road for its next two conference games to take on WKU and Marshall.
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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