BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The University of Evansville women’s basketball team held Conference USA member UAB to just 28.4 percent shooting from the floor Friday night and forced 17 turnovers defensively, as the Purple Aces doused the Blazers, 62-47, in the first round of the Samford-UAB Thanksgiving Classic at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.

 

Evansville held UAB to just 19 first-half points en route to grabbing a 29-19 halftime lead. UAB would score 28 points in the second half of play, but the Blazers would never get closer than eight points after halftime as UE improved to 3-1 on the season.

 

“This was by far our best defensive effort of the year,” said UE head coach Misty Murphy. “UAB was tied at the half on Wednesday with the 15th-ranked team in the country in Auburn, and for us to hold them to just 19 first-half points and 47 points total is a tribute to how hard the players worked tonight.

 

“The energy and effort we gave tonight was tremendous. UAB was a little taller, a little more athletic than we were tonight, but we did not back down, and this is a good win for us. Hopefully, we can build on this effort tomorrow against a very good Samford squad.”

 

Junior guard Amy Gallagher helped Evansville to an early four-point lead, 11-7, just five minutes into the contest, as she had three put-back baskets to score six of UE’s first 11 points. It would set the tone for the half, as UE would out-rebound UAB 28-15 in the first half of play, and use an 11-0 edge in second chance points to grab the 10-point halftime lead.

 

“Amy Gallagher just continues to provide a constant spark for us offensively,” said Murphy. “It is fun to see her develop, because this is her time, and she has stepped up and really relished her role and has been one of our most consistent perimeter performers this year.”

 

In the second half, senior forward Robyn Jennings would score eight of her 12 points to help Evansville build as large as an 18-point lead against the Blazers. Fellow senior Shannon Novosel would score seven of her nine points in the half, and UE would use a 15-2 edge in points from the free throw line in the second half to pick up the win.

 

“Robyn is a tough match-up for most teams because of her athleticism and ability to play along the perimeter,” said Murphy. “I was really proud of her tonight, though, for stepping up and battling on the interior. She had some big shots inside and did a good job of battling on the glass, and that was important for us tonight.”

 

Jennings and Gallagher tied for game-high scoring honors with 12 points, while Jennings recorded her fifth career double-double by grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. Novosel and sophomore guard Stephanie Bamberger both chipped in nine points each for UE as well.

 

Fatiha Salaam paced UAB with 11 points, while Amanda Peterson added 10. Britney Jones, who came into the contest averaging a team-best 16.8 points per game, was limited to just eight points on 4-of-14 shooting from the floor.

 

With the victory, Evansville improves to 3-1, while UAB falls to 1-4. The Purple Aces will conclude play in the Samford-UAB Classic on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., as UE will battle the host Samford Bulldogs. Samford entered the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record and posted a 23-9 season a year ago. Saturday’s contest can be heard live in the Tri-State area on 91.5 F.M.-WUEV.