The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
UAB's Comeback Falls Short Against Southern Miss
3/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score 
By Steve Irvine, UABsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The final momentum swing in a game full of momentum swings was not a good one for No. 6 seed UAB in an 80-66 loss to No. 3 seed Southern Miss on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship.
It came with just under three minutes remaining and UAB coming down court with hopes of slicing into a five-point Southern Miss lead. UAB senior Janae Smith was called for an offensive foul after colliding with Southern Miss' Jerontay Clemons at halfcourt. Smith was also whistled for a technical foul after the play. The Golden Eagles' Tamara Jones hit both free throws and followed with a 17-foot jumper on the ensuing possession to build a comfortable advantage.
Southern Miss head coach Joye Lee-McNelis called it "the turnaround play" and UAB counterpart Randy Norton didn't disagree.
"It was a five-point game at the time so that's a tough one," said Norton, whose team dropped to 18-13. "I've always said in the game of basketball you can't look at one play. It's a 40-minute game. But at that time, it was a momentum changer there."
It was a difficult day, overall, for a UAB defense that is accustomed to shutting down teams. The Blazers, who have the top scoring defense in C-USA, allowed at least 80 points for only the second time this season and the first time against a conference team.
"You're not going to win very many games when you give up 80, you're just not," Norton said. But the Blazers nearly found a way to win on Thursday despite a darn good performance by the Golden Eagles (21-9). Southern Miss shot 60 percent in the first half and took a 41-30 lead into halftime following a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Alex Coyne. The lead was 48-35 three minutes into the second half before UAB began firing from long range to cut into the deficit.
Black started a 20-9 run over a six-minute span with a pair of 3-pointers. She also ended the run with a pair of 3-pointers with the final one cutting the Southern Miss lead to 57-55 with 9:05 left. Miranda Burroughs also had a pair of 3-pointers during that time.
"We knew at halftime it was time to crank it up," said Black, who set a career high with six 3-pointers. "We played hard throughout the whole game but it was time to take the next step. Once I got in rhythm, it felt like a layup." The problem was, though, UAB had trouble stopping Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles had an answer every time that the Blazers hit a bucket.
"I felt like both teams played with tremendous heart, both teams fought extremely hard and both teams made huge plays and great runs," said Lee-McNelis, whose team outscored UAB, 15-13, over the final 3:50.
Smith, who fought double and triple teams all game, had a game-high 21 points, making 7 of 12 shots from the field, including a second half 3-pointer, and grabbed eight rebounds. Black had 20 points and four assists and Burroughs scored all 12 of her points on 3-pointers. Freshman guard T'erra Lewis had seven points, six assists and a steal.
"I think it's frustrating to any team but you just keep chipping away," Black said of not being to take the lead. "If they knock you down one time, you got to get right back up. They're a good team, you can't take that away from them. We knew they were going to get baskets in the long run. We just ended up coming up on the short end of the stick today."
Afterward, Norton was asked if he hoped his team gets a postseason opportunity in the WNIT. "There is no guarantee but I would think in Conference USA with 18 wins and tied for fourth, I would think we'd have a good shot," Norton said. "In the past, that's generally the way it's been."
UAB will have to wait until Monday night to learn it's fate when the WNIT will release its 64-team bracket 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. CT.
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