BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Amber Jones scored 20 points Sunday night, but the UAB women’s basketball team’s second-half rally came up short in a 70-59 Conference USA loss to Memphis at Bartow Arena.
The Blazers (13-5, 4-2 C- USA) cut a 17-point deficit all the way down to three points at 55-52 with 6:30 to play but could get no closer against a team from Memphis (14-4, 4-1 C-USA) that became the first to reach the 70-point mark against UAB this season.
The Tigers placed put four players in double figures, led by Brittany Carter with a game-high 22 points, while Jasmine Lee posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Memphis held a significant advantage on the boards, out-rebounding UAB 45-29 on the night.
“I’m proud of the way we were able to claw back into the game in the second half, but we have to learn that we can’t keep digging these kinds of holes for ourselves,” UAB head coach Audra Smith said. “Memphis took the fight to us early and had us back on our heels a little bit. They’re a physical, athletic team, and they just beat us tonight.”
LaShaunda Pratt scored 15 points for UAB, and it was her back-to-back 3-pointers that brought the Blazers within three points in the second half. Karisma Chapman added 10 for UAB despite missing nearly the entire first half because of foul trouble.
Jones inched closer to the 1,000-point mark for her career. She scored her 997th point during UAB’s comeback with 11:07 on the clock but missed much of the remainder of the game with leg cramps and didn’t score again.
In a matchup of Conference USA’s top rated defense and top scoring offense, it was the offensive team that came out on top. Memphis shot 44 percent from the floor and scored 70 points, slightly below their 73 point average, against a Blazer team that was surrendering just over 47 points per game.
UAB still managed to get some takeaways, generating 12 steals, 17 total turnovers and eight blocked shots, but Memphis was able to make the most of its opportunities when UAB couldn’t take it away. The Tigers got the ball inside, where they were able to score 24 points in the paint and get to the free throw line 31 times, knocking down 22 of them.
UAB, which has now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season, goes back on the road this week. The Blazers will travel to Tulsa for a 7 p.m. CT contest on Thursday.
