by Garrett Helmers
Death. Taxes. Zakyia Weathersby double-doubles.
In a world filled with uncertainty, the Blazers (12-6, 5-2) have perhaps the greatest guarantee in Conference USA in senior center Zakyia Weathersby, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in UAB’s 77-65 win over Marshall on Saturday.
Weathersby has posted a double-double in 13 of her 17 games this season, but even she could not position herself as the star of this one.
There really was no star for the Blazers. Instead, UAB had five players in double digits, led by Kylee Schneringer, who had 15 in the game.
Marshall (11-7, 6-3) proved to be a tough opponent for the Blazers, particularly in the first quarter of play.
Captained by sophomore sensation Savannah Wheeler, the Thundering Herd opened a 25-16 lead in the first quarter. Wheeler, who had a game-high 31 points, hit a jumper early in the first quarter and never looked back.
The Blazers found themselves down through the first ten minutes of action in part because of their foul trouble and lack of execution on offense.
Empty possessions by UAB gave the Thundering Herd an opportunity to get easy looks on the other end, which they took advantage of and found themselves up by 9 a couple of minutes into the second quarter.
Things changed for the Blazers when Senior Margaret Whitley buried a three-point shot from deep. With a newfound sense of confidence on the offensive end, UAB picked up the energy on defense and closed the first half on a 17-9 run.
Perhaps the biggest player in the game for the Blazers was Destinee McGhee, who had ten points off the bench, but more importantly, gave UAB the jolt of energy it needed in the second quarter and into the second half. McGhee provided great relief for Weathersby, who had foul trouble early.
The determining factor in this one though was cohesiveness.
The Blazers received major contributions from all five starters and deep into their bench. With scoring coming from a variety of sources, UAB was able to take command of the game in the second half.
Marshall relied heavily on Wheeler to carry the load, and in the end, she was unable to put her team in a position to win.
A 24-13 run by UAB in the fourth quarter put any chance Marshall had to rest.
Head Coach Randy Norton was proud of the way his team shared the basketball and handled the pressure of a well-coached Marshall team.
“It was a great team win. We had five players in double digits,” Norton said. “If you can get five kids in double digits, you’re gonna be a tough out.”
UAB plays next on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Middle Tennessee (15-4, 7-2). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.
