Birmingham, Ala. ? The Stetson women's basketball team got out to a hot start in its season opener Friday afternoon at UAB, but ultimately could not make its early 9-2 lead stand up and fell 73-58 to the Blazers at Bartow Arena. Sophomore guard Tierra Brown (Orlando, Fla.) paced the Hatters with 14 points and three steals.
Stetson scored the first seven points of the game and held on for much of the low-scoring first half. UAB tied it up 14-14 with 6:27 to go in the half, but a three-pointer by senior guard Sharnesha Smith (Kingsland, Ga.) put the Hatters back on top again. The lead got as high as five points before the Blazers used a 14-3 run over the final four and a half minutes of the period to seize control heading into the locker room.
The Hatters came within three points two minutes into the second half when freshman guard Jessica Bivins (Orlando, Fla.) drained a three-pointer, but UAB guard Amanda Peterson immediately answered with a trifecta of her own and Stetson never came within one possession again. A 16-2 UAB streak from approximately the 14-minute mark to the eight-minute mark put the outcome out of reach.
Both teams were plagued by poor free throw shooting; UAB made just 13 of its 28 attempts while Stetson shot an absolutely ice-cold five for 20 from the charity stripe.
Smith finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals for Stetson while junior forward Ashli Jackson (Opelika, Ala.) notched seven points, eight rebounds and a block. Sophomore forward Jessica Conner (Cocoa, Fla.) tied for the team lead with eight boards, adding six points as well.
Brittney Jones led all scorers with 22 points for UAB, adding four steals and three assists in the process, while Peterson tossed up a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double. Tamika Dures collected 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Hatters return home to face Norfolk State in their home opener Sunday at 2 p.m. There will be a post-game concert in the Edmunds Center shortly afterwards by faith-based group Pocket Full of Rocks. Live stats are available for Sunday's game as well as the Hatter Vision webcast, featuring commentary from Bill Topping and Dee Romine, online at www.GoHatters.com, the official online home of Stetson Athletics.
