GREENSBORO, N.C. – UAB jumped out to a big first-half lead and rode some hot shooting from 3-point range to down UNCG in nonconference women’s basketball action at Fleming Gymnasium on Tuesday, 72-42.
Senior Jazz Weaver scored a career-high 12 points to lead the Spartans (2-5), while freshman Jarae Savage had another solid performance with 11 points and seven rebounds. Point guard Dayshaun Richbow played the entire 40 minutes and flirted with a double-double with a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Sophomore Nneka Awuruonye scored a career-high nine points to go along with a career-high six rebounds.
Amber Jones scored a career-high 25 to lead UAB (6-2), going 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. LaShaunda Pratt scored 18 points on six 3-pointers, while Karisma Chapman added 11 points for the Blazers, who won their fifth straight.
The Blazers were 13-for-26 from 3-point range Tuesday, hitting more 3-point shots and 2-pointers (11). UAB shot 50 percent from 3-point range and just 30.6 percent from inside the arc. The 13 made 3s tied for the most ever by a UNCG opponent.
UAB jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never looked back. Pratt got things going with a 3-pointer, Michaelea Kleist converted a traditional three-point play and Pratt hit another 3 as the Blazers were locked in early.
Janae’ Stevenson and Richbow sandwiched baskets around a Jones jumper, but Jones hit her first 3 to put the Blazers up by double digits at 14-4 with 14:44 to go in the first.
UNCG would get no closer than that and UAB led at the break, 33-17.
The Blazers continued to pour it on in the second half, pressing often and forcing 18 UNCG turnovers in the game, 11 of which came after intermission.
UNCG was within a manageable 14 points midway through the second half before UAB pulled away. A Weaver three-point play made it 43-29 with 11:45 to go before Khalilah Watson hit a jumper. Savage answered with one of her three 3s on the night, but Pratt countered with back-to-back triples and Chapman answered a Sidnei Harmon jumper with a 3 of her own to make it 54-34.
A Jones steal led to a Chapman layup to make it a 22-point spread with 8:40 left, capping a 13-5 run.
Richbow played the entire game because of an injury to starting point guard Breonna Patterson against Samford on Saturday. She performed well in Patterson’s absence, setting season highs in rebounds and assists and missing her career highs in both categories by one each.
UNCG now hits the road for more than a month. The Spartans will head to Richmond, Va., for a date with Richmond on Saturday at noon, kicking off a season-long six-game road swing that will also see stops in Spartanburg, S.C.; Greenville, S.C.; San Diego, Calif.; and Cullowhee, N.C.