Box Score BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Belmont women's basketball team (2-5, 0-1 A-Sun) was hampered by a slow offensive start on the road at UAB (5-3) on Sunday afternoon. Spotty shooting down the stretch helped the Blazers take the game, 61-37, handing the Bruins their first road loss of the 2010-11 campaign.
After a slow start, the Bruins were finally able to take the lead, 10-8, by the 13 minute mark with a triple and back-to-back jumpers from senior Tereva Moore (Memphis, Tenn.). BU continued to test UAB's ability to make plays, pushing them to score with less than six ticks left on the shot clock for at least five consecutive possessions. Back-to-back three pointers by from the top of the arc junior Tristan Daniel (Waynesboro, Tenn.) kept the Bruins ahead by one point, 16-15, with just under eight minutes left in the half.
Suddenly, the Bruins went ice cold from the floor and fell into a scoring drought that lasted the final six minutes of the first stanza. UAB was able to put together a 13-0 run to close the half to take a 31-17 lead into the locker room. The Blazers used full court pressure and forced 16 turnovers over the course of the half, adding 19 points to their tally off turnovers alone.
After opening the second half 0-6 from the floor, Moore battled through the paint for a lay-up with 15:27 on the clock, marking the first time since the 6:19 mark of the first half the Bruins were able to find the bottom of the net, moving the team to within 16, 35-19. The Blazers continued to use a full court press to force turnovers and add more points to their tally off of them. By the 9:29 mark, UAB had pulled away 42-21.
BU had slipped into another scoring drought, this one lasting over five and a half minutes before a three pointer from junior Cacy Burtnett (Cleveland, Tenn.) added the much needed points to the board. The Bruins slowly began to come alive offensively and was able to string together a brief rally that would close the gap to 18 but that would be as close as they would come. The Blazers exploded in the final four minutes, sparked by a three-point play by Destiny Samuels. The spotty shooting continued to plague the Bruins, allowing UAB to increase their lead to 26, 61-35, with 1:46 left in regulation. Moore banged through the paint for two more points 20 seconds later but those would be the final points of the contest for BU. The Blazers went on to take the second meeting between the programs, 61-37.
UAB shot 34.9 percent from the floor, 45 percent from three-point range and 53.3 percent from the free-throw line. The Blazers held the advantage in rebounds, 42-34, assists, 9-8, and steals, 13-1.
The Blazers were led in scoring by Jala Harris and Amber Jones, who scored 14 and 11 points, respectively. The team was led in rebounding by Taronda Randall and Miteka Trueheart, who had six boards apiece.
Belmont shot 30 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 60 percent from the charity stripe. The Bruins held the advantage in blocks, 8-6.
The Bruins were led in scoring by Moore's 11 points. Daniel added 10 points in the effort. Junior Haley Nelson (Scottsboro, Ala.) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and had a team-high three blocks.
Belmont returns to action on Tuesday, December 7 at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins host crosstown rival Tennessee State beginning at 5 p.m. The contest can be seen live on ASun.TV and heard live via the internet on the Bruins Sports Network. Live stats will also be available.
