Jan. 27, 2008

Final Stats  l  UAB vs. Memphis box score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The UAB women's basketball team overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to capture a 72-66 win over the Memphis Lady Tigers Sunday afternoon at the FedEx Forum. Senior guard/forward Diamond Rogers paced the Blazers with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

UAB improves to 9-10 overall and maintains its second-place standing in Conference USA at 5-1. Memphis falls to 5-14 overall and 2-4 in league play.

The Lady Tigers got off to a quick start, shooting 45.2 percent in the first half to take an 11-point lead at the break, 33-22.

In the second half, UAB outscored Memphis 22-10 in the first eight minutes to take its first lead of the game, 44-43, at the 11:55 mark. The Blazers went on to extend their lead to as much as 15, 61-46, with 5:26 remaining in the game.

The Lady Tigers made a late run on the backs on Paris Leonard and Jessica Hall to come within two of the Blazer, 65-63, with 53 seconds left on the clock. UAB sank key free throws down the stretch to leave with the six-point win, 72-66.

"I really got on them at halftime about our defense," said UAB head coach Audra Smith. "In the second half, we really started to buckle down and we got stops. Then, when we started getting stops is when it became easier to score.

"I told our team that Memphis was going to come out with a lot of intensity and ready to play. We didn't match that intensity in the first half and that is why we dug ourselves a hole. Thankfully, we woke up and were able to make some things happen."

Despite shooting just 22.0 percent in the first half, UAB responded with 54.5 percent shooting in the second half to shoot 37.7 percent for the game. The Blazers also hit 27.8 percent from three-point range and 68.2 percent from the free throw line.

Rogers hit 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe to score her 22 points for UAB. Junior guard Britney Jones tallied 12 points and added a team-best four assists. Freshman guard Amanda Peterson scored in double figures for the 13th consecutive game with 11 points.

Memphis shot over 40.0 percent during both halves, combining for a total 44.1 percent shooting for the game. The Lady Tigers knocked down 43.8 percent from beyond the arc and hit 58.3 percent from the free throw line.

Leonard led Memphis with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, followed by Aroha Jennings with 15 points and Hall with 13. Jennings recorded a double-double by adding 10 rebounds to her 15 points.

The Blazers' next outing will be Friday evening when they host the Rice Owls. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Bartow Arena.