BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — The UAB women’s basketball team cruised to a 70-32 victory over Alcorn State on Monday night at Bartow Arena. The Blazers seized control early, building a 36-20 halftime lead and outscoring the Lady Braves in every quarter. UAB’s offense was efficient, shooting 49% from the field and connecting on 14 three-pointers. Cali Smallwood led all scorers with 18 points for UAB, while Eleecia Carter added 16. Alcorn State struggled offensively, shooting just 20.7% from the floor. The Lady Braves were led by Jayda Bowen’s seven points. UAB improved to 5-5 overall, while Alcorn State fell to 2-6.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — The UAB women’s basketball team used a dominant defensive performance and a barrage of three-pointers to overwhelm Alcorn State 70-32 in a nonconference game Monday night at Bartow Arena. The Blazers, evening their record at 5-5, held the visiting Lady Braves to a season-low in points and a frigid 20.7% shooting from the field. Alcorn State, which fell to 2-6, managed just 12 made field goals on 58 attempts and scored only 12 points in the entire second half. UAB seized control early with its perimeter shooting. The Blazers connected on 14 of 28 attempts from beyond the arc, a 50% clip that consistently stretched the Alcorn State defense. Cali Smallwood, a guard from Blountsville, Alabama, led the offensive charge with a game-high 18 points, fueled by four three-pointers. Fellow guard Eleecia Carter added 16 points, also hitting four shots from deep. The game’s decisive stretch came in the second quarter. Leading 15-10 after the first period, UAB erupted with a 21-point quarter, outscoring Alcorn State by 11 to take a 36-20 lead into halftime. The Blazers’ ball movement was key during the run, with Sofia Munoz and Journey Armstead combining for 12 assists in the game to consistently find open shooters. Alcorn State’s offensive struggles were comprehensive. Beyond the poor shooting, the Lady Braves turned the ball over 12 times against a UAB defense that recorded 10 steals. While Alcorn State won the battle on the offensive glass 11-7, generating second-chance opportunities, they were unable to convert them into points, shooting a dismal 5 of 27 in the third and fourth quarters combined. UAB’s offensive efficiency was starkly superior. The Blazers scored 70 points on the same number of possessions, 62, as Alcorn State, translating to an offensive rating of 112.6 compared to the Lady Braves’ 51.7. UAB also shared the ball effectively, tallying 20 assists on 24 made field goals. For Alcorn State, Jayda Bowen came off the bench to lead the team with seven points. Arene Iyekekpolor and Kiarra Henderson each added six points. The Lady Braves’ defense did force 14 UAB turnovers and matched the Blazers with 10 steals, but their own inability to score prevented any sustained challenge. UAB’s depth was on display as nine different players scored. In addition to the efforts of Smallwood and Carter, Munoz finished with nine points and five assists, while Armstead contributed six points and a game-high seven assists. Molly Moffitt provided a presence inside with eight points. The game, played before an announced crowd of 125, was never in doubt after the first-quarter break. UAB continued to extend its lead after halftime, holding Alcorn State to just five points in the third quarter to push the advantage to 52-25. The victory gives UAB momentum as it heads into a two-game homestand against Mississippi Valley State and Samford before beginning American Athletic Conference play. Alcorn State, which has faced a difficult early schedule including games against LSU, Alabama and Mississippi State, will look to regroup quickly before a road game at Auburn. The most important part of the game was UAB’s second-quarter surge, which transformed a competitive five-point contest into a commanding 16-point halftime lead. This period showcased the Blazers’ offensive firepower from deep and their stifling defense, effectively deciding the outcome before the intermission. Alcorn State, already challenged offensively, could not recover from the deficit against UAB’s sustained defensive pressure, scoring a mere 12 points over the final 20 minutes.

Alcorn State Lady Braves Look to Build Momentum Against UAB Blazers BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — The Alcorn State Lady Braves will seek to carry momentum from a decisive win into a nonconference road test against the UAB Blazers in women’s basketball on Monday night at Bartow Arena. Alcorn State (2-5) snapped a three-game skid with a 72-32 rout of Rust on Dec. 1. Kiarra Henderson led a balanced attack with 11 points and five assists in just 16 minutes, while Nakia Cheathman scored a game-high 17 points. The victory was a bright spot in a challenging early schedule that included road losses to power-conference opponents LSU and Mississippi State. The Lady Braves will need another efficient performance from Henderson, who has averaged 9.8 points and 4.5 assists over her last four games, to challenge UAB on its home floor. The Blazers (4-5) aim to rebound after a 73-81 loss at Southern Mississippi on Dec. 7, despite a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double from forward Monae Duffy. Duffy has been a consistent force for UAB, recording double-doubles in three of her last six contests, including a 26-point, 12-rebound effort at Murray State on Nov. 22. UAB has shown offensive firepower at home, averaging 77.3 points in three games at Bartow Arena this season, including an 81-54 win over Southern Illinois on Dec. 3. This matchup pits Alcorn State’s quest for a rare road win against a UAB team looking to stabilize its record before American Athletic Conference play begins next month. The Blazers have dropped four of their last six after a 2-1 start. Following this game, Alcorn State continues a tough road stretch at Auburn on Thursday. UAB remains at home to host Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.