UAB downs Lady Golden Tigerettes 88-67 in exhibition game
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (goldentigersports.com) — Rachel Brownlee paced three players in double figures Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough as Tuskegee University fell to NCAA Division I member UAB 88-67 at Bartow Arena in an exhibition contest.
Brownlee ran her streak of consecutive games in double figures to 24 straight when she hit the mark in the first quarter against the Blazers, before finishing the night with 20 points. She finished the night just under 50 percent from the floor (7-of-15) and was perfect from the free throw line (5-of-5) in the loss. The SIAC Preseason Player of the Year also grabbed six rebounds.
She was joined in double figures by a pair of newcomers, Taylor Miller and Jade Wilson on the night. Miller, a freshman from Valley (Ala.), finished with 18 points, three rebounds and three steals in her first collegiate contest. Meanwhile, Wilson – a transfer from Eastern Michigan – finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Cheyanne Williams finished with a team-high seven rebounds for Tuskegee, who shot 39.3 (24-of-61) percent from the floor and 50 (8-of-16) percent from beyond the arc.
“This is a new team,” Tuskegee head coach Quacy Barnes-Timmons said. “We have a lot of new pieces and we are still working them around and getting them used to each other. I thought we played really well, especially in the first half. In the second half, we just came out and couldn’t adjust to their pressure in the first few minutes.”
Deanna Kuzmanic paced four UAB players in double figures with 21 points, while Rachael Childress added 14 points. Micah Sheetz poured in 12, while Keonna Farmer added 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Blazers shot 47.1 (32-of-68) percent from the floor and 41.9 (13-of-31) percent from beyond the arc. They also won the rebounding battle 44-35.
The Tigerettes battled UAB shot for shot most of the first half, including taking 9-4 lead just four minutes into the contest and leaving the Bartow Arena quiet for a few minutes. During the early run, Brownlee had four points and Miller connected on her first three-pointer of the season.
From there, UAB battled back to take a 15-9 lead, using an 11-0 run over a span of two minutes. However, The Tigerettes were able to work their way back into the contest and trimmed the deficit to six at the conclusion of the quarter, 22-16.
In the second quarter, the Tigerettes battled to trim the deficit to four at 28-24 after trailing by nine to start the second stanza. The Tigerettes went on an 8-3 run highlighted by a three-point play by Williams. However, UAB took the momentum into the locker room when Miyah Barnes finished off a 9-0 run with a half-court buzzer beater for a 41-28 UAB halftime lead. And from there, UAB seized control in the second half.
“We are going to continue to grow,” Timmons said. “We made some mistakes tonight that are correctable, and we are going to work on those to get better. This team has a lot of potential and it is my job to get them ready.”
Tuskegee will return to action Sunday afternoon against NCAA Division III member LaGrange College at 2 pm inside Chappie James Arena. The game can be seen on the Tuskegee Digital Network beginning at 1:45 pm, and admission to the event is free.
“We are going to face a good team on Sunday,” Timmons said. “They may be a Division III team, but they are going to give us some different looks that will get us ready for the season opener next weekend.”
