Tulane and UAB Battles for C-USA Championship Title at 12:30 p.m. Friday - CONFERENCEUSA.COM - The Official Athletic site of The Conference USA

Tulane and UAB Battles for C-USA Championship Title at 12:30 p.m. Friday
Admission is FREE!

	Chassity Brown

March 12, 2010

TULSA, Okla. - - There is a saying in sports that a season is like a marathon, not a sprint. While the Tulane University women's basketball team's 2009-10 season is not yet over, the finish line is clearly in sight and the squad will be going all out as the Green Wave will take on UAB in the 2010 GMC Sierra Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship Game on Friday at 12:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The winner of Friday's championship game - which will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports Television as well as being carried on the radio on WIST AM 690 - will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. While Tulane enters the ballgame with a 25-6 overall record and the C-USA regular-season title after going 12-4 in league play, the Green Wave understand that their best way to assure a spot in The Big Dance is to do what no conference team has done since the 2005-06 season - sweep both the regular-season and tournament titles.

Friday's game marks Tulane's sixth championship game appearance and the Green Wave are 5-1 in those contests, including a 73-70 win over UAB on March 6, 2000. Tulane also earned C-USA Tournament titles in 1997 with a 76-53 win over Marquette, in 1999 with a 58-44 decision over Cincinnati and in 2001 with a 63-50 victory over the Bearcats.

The Green Wave advanced to the C-USA Championship game for the first time since 2002 after defeating UCF in Tuesday's quarterfinals, 63-62, and rolling past East Carolina in Wednesday's semifinals, 73-64. As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 70.2 points, 35.7 rebounds, 15.7 assists, 11.8 steals and 3.1 blocks per game.

Senior guard Chassity Brown leads the team with 13.3 points per game while junior guard/forwards Danielle Nunn and Tiffany Aidoo are next with respective averages of 11.4 and 10.2. Sophomore center Brett Benzio leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.7 per game, while junior guard Roshaunda Barnes paces the Wave with 131 assists and 85 steals.

Tulane is hitting 42.6 percent of its shots from the field, connecting on 757-of-1777 attempts, including 188-of-550 from beyond the 3-point arc (.342). The Green Wave defense has held opponents to a 38.9 shooting percentage (684-of-1758) and a 30.0 clip from 3-point land (131-of-437). Tulane opponents are averaging 60.4 points, 39.2 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 8.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game.

UAB, the tournament's No. 6 seed, enters Friday's contest 17-14 on the year and riding the high of a six-game winning streak which includes a 52-45 win over Tulsa on Monday, a 64-55 decision over SMU on Tuesday and a 70-65 victory over Houston on Wednesday.

As a team, the Blazers are averaging 62.2 points, 38.1 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 7.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game. C-USA Freshman of the Year Jala Harris leads the team with 15.9 points per game while Tamika Dukes and Amanda Peterson follow closely with averages of 12.8 and 10.4, respectively. Dukes leads UAB in rebounding, averaging 6.9 per game, while Harris paces the club with 100 assists and 42 steals.

UAB is hitting 37.9 percent of its shots from the field after connecting on 705-of-1862 attempts, including a 179-of-533 showing from beyond the 3-point line (.336). The Blazers' defense has allowed opponents connect at a 39.9 shooting percentage (660-of-1653) and a 30.6 clip from 3-point land (132-of-431). UAB opponents are averaging 63.6 points, 39.5 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 7.2 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.

Friday's C-USA Championship game marks the 29th meeting between Tulane and UAB, and the Green Wave lead the all-time series 19-9. Under Stockton, the Wave are 17-7 against the Blazers, including a 3-0 mark in C-USA Tournament play. During the regular-season matchup, Tulane used a 28-10 run in the first 10 minutes of the game en route to a 64-56 win on Feb. 20 in Fogelman Arena. Ironically enough, that was the last time UAB lost this year.

The Green Wave will learn of its postseason fate on Monday, March 15, when the NCAA and WNIT announce their respective brackets. A win will guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament. If the Green Wave lose to the Blazers and are snubbed an at-large NCAA berth, Tulane will earn an automatic bid to the WNIT via the regular-season championship.