Wichita State Rallies Triumphantly Against Blazers in Birmingham Showdown

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Shockers secured their first American Athletic Conference triumph, overpowering UAB 82-70 on Saturday night in Bartow Arena.
 
Salese Blow and Jayla Murray both contributed 24 points for Wichita State, marking a career-best for Murray and a career-high-tying performance for Blow. Murray also topped the team in rebounds with nine, while Blow went a flawless 10-for-10 at the foul line, becoming the first Wichita State player since Seraphine Bastin in 2020 to achieve 100 percent accuracy from the line with a minimum of 10 attempts.
 
The Shockers dominated the boards against the Blazers, out-rebounding them 45-41 and registered 15 assists against only eight turnovers. Wichita State scored 38 points within the paint and converted 20 of 26 attempts from the charity stripe, achieving their best free throw percentage since the Dec. 18 victory over CSU Bakersfield.
 
Similar to the previous matchup between the two teams, Wichita State had to fight back after trailing by 12 in the first quarter. The Shockers began the game sluggishly, shooting merely 4-for-19 (21.1 percent) in the opening quarter. The score was knotted at 7-7 before UAB initiated a 13-2 surge, leading by as much as 12 in the first period.
 
Wichita State started to hit their stride in the second quarter as Jayla Murray contributed 13 points during the segment, narrowing the gap to four by halftime.
 
Wichita State intensified their performance in the third quarter, outpacing UAB by 11 and keeping the Blazers without a point for the final 2:51, heading into the last period with a seven-point advantage.
 
The Blazers closed within three in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Blow scored 10 points during this period to fend them off, hitting five free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
Wichita State advances to 7-9 (1-2 AAC) while UAB drops to 9-6 (0-3 AAC), as the Shockers return home to challenge South Florida on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Charles Koch Arena.