BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Wichita State clawed back from down 16 to beat UAB, 68-65, in its regular-season finale Tuesday evening in Bartow Arena.
 
"It was a big test of our team toughness to be down 16 and have to battle back on the road," head coach Terry Nooner said. "After losing a bunch of close games, to be able to get the confidence and show that we can finish and win a close game is huge for the team."
 
Daniela Abies recorded her 10^th double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, Salese Blow scored 14 points, her 19^th game in double figures, and Ambah Kowcun put up a season-high 11 points off the bench for the Shockers.
 
DJ McCarty scored eight points and dished out a team-high four assists, Ella Anciaux tallied six points and six rebounds, her third-straight game with five or more rebounds, and Jayla Murray grabbed seven rebounds.
 
"We had so many people that stepped up, but I thought the biggest one was Ambah off the bench," Nooner said. "For her as a senior to have her last regular season game and step up like that was huge."
 
Kowcun hit two crucial three pointers, one to help the Shockers start to cut into the Blazers' 16-point lead in the second quarter and the other to open the fourth quarter and make it a one-point game.
 
Blow hit a career-high four three pointers, shooting 4-for-7 from behind the arc, and Abies led the Shockers to 36 points in the paint.
 
Wichita State recorded its best field goal percentage since its win over Memphis, shooting 26-for-57 (.456) and shot 9-for-10 (.900) from the line, their best free throw percentage of the season.
 
UAB shot 9-for-29 (.310) from three, seven of those coming in the first half.
 
The Shockers held UAB scoreless through the first three minutes of the game but were only able to score four points themselves, turning the ball over three times. They took their biggest lead of the game with 4:09 left in the period, going up five courtesy of a Blow three pointer before the Blazers hit four unanswered threes and went on a 13-0 run to finish the first quarter up 17-9.
 
In the second quarter, UAB went on a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 16 before Anciaux made her second layup of the night and Kowcun hit a three to end the run and start to chip away. Abies and Murray combined for eight points in the paint, and the Shockers ended the half on an 8-0 to make it an eight-point game.
 
After halftime, Blow hit her third three pointer of the game in the final minute of the third quarter, ending a back-and-forth period by cutting the deficit to four, and Kowcun opened the fourth with a three of her own to make it a one-point game.
 
The teams traded layups as Abies gave Wichita State its first lead since early in the first quarter and UAB took it right back. McCarty tied it up at 50-50, making a fast break layup after Blow snagged one of her three steals of the night.
 
UAB went back up four, but Wichita State hung around, never letting it become more than a four-point game for the remainder of the game.
 
Blow hit her fourth triple of the night to make it a one-point game with 2:25 remaining, and Kowcun hit a pair of free throws to regain the lead with 1:58 left. UAB's Mia Moore was fouled on a made jumper and hit the free throw to give the Blazers a two-point lead with 1:43 remaining.
 
Abies scored inside on a Blow pass to tie it up at 64-64 with 1:29 left, but UAB's Kylee Schneringer drew a foul on the other end and made one of two from the line to make it 65-64.
 
Abies scored again with a McCarty assist to give the Shockers a one-point advantage with 24 seconds left, and the Shockers got a big stop on the other end to give themselves another chance on offense. Blow got fouled and hit both of her free throws to put the Shockers up 68-65 with nine seconds on the clock. UAB couldn't get its three to fall, and Wichita State completed the come-from-behind victory to finish the regular season 9-21 (5-13 AAC). The Blazers fell to 18-12 (9-9 AAC) as both teams get ready for the American Athletic Conference tournament on March 9-13 in Fort Worth, Texas.
 
Wichita State [13] plays a first-round game against Florida Atlantic [12] Friday, March 9 at 4 p.m.
 
"Our team feels good," Nooner said. "You want to be peaking at the end of the season. Our team has shown that when we play our best, we can compete with anybody, and if we play our A-game, we'll take our chances against anyone. We're excited about the challenge, we're excited about getting down to Texas for the AAC tournament."