Shockers Shock Blazers at Bartow Arena in Close Contest
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers fell to the Wichita State Shockers with a final score of 74-66. The Shockers, who did not hold a rank going into the game, managed to secure a victory on the road against the Blazers. The home team's record now stands at an even split with this result factored in.
The UAB Blazers put forth a valiant effort on their home court at Bartow Arena. Despite trailing by six points after the first half, they matched their opponents by scoring 33 points in both halves. However, it was not enough to overcome the deficit incurred during that initial period.
UAB's performance was highlighted by their fast break points totaling 16 and second chance points tallying up to 13. They also demonstrated defensive capabilities with eight steals and three blocks throughout the contest. Their assist-to-turnover ratio stood at 1.25 as they dished out 15 assists while turning over the ball only 13 times.
Offensively, UAB attempted more field goals than Wichita State but struggled with accuracy, making just 40 percent from the field and hitting five out of their sixteen three-point attempts for a three-point shooting percentage of just over thirty percent. From within the paint, they scored thirty points but were slightly less effective from two-point range overall compared to Wichita State's forty-nine percent accuracy.
On free throws, UAB made fifteen out of twenty-two attempts which translated into sixty-eight percent success rate from the charity stripe – an area where games can often be won or lost.
Wichita State’s game plan seemed effective as they capitalized on turnovers scoring nineteen points off them despite committing eighteen turnovers themselves. Their shooting was more efficient overall; fifty percent from field goal range and an impressive fifty-three percent from beyond the arc helped them maintain their lead throughout most of this closely contested battle.
The Shockers also edged out UAB in total rebounds grabbing thirty-eight compared to thirty-one for UAB which included twenty-eight defensive boards helping limit second-chance opportunities for UAB.
Looking ahead for fans of The University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers is another challenging matchup as they are scheduled to face off against Memphis Tigers away at FedExForum located in Memphis TN on March third airing live on ESPN2 network starting at four-thirty PM Central Time Zone (CT). This will be another opportunity for Blazers supporters to rally behind their team as they continue through this competitive season.