The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
West Alabama
UAB downs West Alabama, 83-41
11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 10, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Sophomore Frank Holmes scored 18 points and netted 14 rebounds to pace UAB to an 83-41 exhibition win over in-state foe West Alabama Thursday night in UAB's first contest of the 2005-06 season. Senior guard Marvett McDonald scored 17 points on four-of-10 three-point shooting and freshman Lawrence Kinnard had 10 points with seven boards for the Blazers.
"First of all, we got a chance to play a lot of guys tonight," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said of playing 11 of his 15 roster members. "That really gave us the opportunity to assess some things. Overall, we got something good out of it. We finally played someone other than ourselves."
UAB opened the contest on a 12-0 run, holding West Alabama scoreless until a Jerry Brown layup with 16:06 remaining in the first. By the time the Tigers hit double digits, the Blazers had raced to a 32-11 lead with 8:17 until halftime. A Courtney Brown three-pointer with :03 left before the break made the intermission score 46-20, UAB.
The second half was more of the same as the Blazers stymied UWA, holding the Tigers to 25.4 percent shooting (16-for-63) from the field and just five-of-23 from long range. No Tiger scored in double-figures, but 14 saw action. Jared Hembree's three three-pointers gave him a team-high nine points on the night. Kareem Ward, who raised the Bartow Arena eyebrows with a slashing dunk to the basket early in the second half, scored four points and had a team-high seven boards.
Freshman Roderick Ollie had nine points and six rebounds in his Blazer debut. Junior college transfer Maurice Gibbs scored seven points and had three steals. Derrick Broom and Brandon Tobias each scored seven points for the Blazers as well with Broom registering five assists, four rebounds and four steals. Squeaky Johnson scored six for UAB and had seven assists on the night.
UAB shot 42 percent (34-of-81) for the game and hit nine-of-26 (34.6 percent) from downtown. The Blazers out-rebounded UWA, 55-46 and forced 27 Tiger turnovers. UAB scored 32 points off turnovers compared to eight for West Alabama.
"I thought we could have done a better job on the glass," Anderson said. "But I have to give credit to West Alabama. They didn't stop playing. This game will help us and help them as well."
West Alabama next travels to Auburn to battle the Tigers on Monday, Nov. 14 in a 7 p.m. exhibition tilt before opening its regular season with a home contest against Wesley College in Livingston at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Blazers wrap up exhibition play Tuesday night, Nov. 15, with North Georgia. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Bartow Arena. UAB then opens its regular season in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Classic in Springfield, Mass., against local favorite UMass on Friday, Nov. 25. The UMass game will air live at noon CT on Fox SportsNet.
