The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Begins Two-Game C-USA Road Stretch At Tulane
1/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2007
Tulane Game Notes
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team will begin a two-game Conference USA road stretch when it travels to New Orleans, La., to take on the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 2 p.m. CT. The Blazers will be looking for their first win at Tulane since a 76-66 win on Jan. 20, 2001 (four consecutive losses).
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Blazers ISP Sports Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 1:30 p.m. CT. Birmingham and Huntsville listeners can follow all the action on WYDE 101.1 FM. The broadcast can also be heard on WIQR 1410 AM in Montgomery/Prattville and 98.3 FM WTRB in Ashland/Talladega.
The game marks the 25th meeting between the two teams, with the Blazers holding a slim 13-11 advantage in the series. UAB has won the last two contests, and three of the last five overall.
Scouting Tulane
Tulane enters Saturday afternoon's contest sporting a 7-6 overall record on the season, and are 0-1 in C-USA play. The Green Wave opened league play with a 75-70 overtime loss at Rice last Wednesday night. Sophomore center Robinson Louisme led the team with 19 points and 11 boards in the losing effort. The game will mark Tulane's conference home opener.
The Green Wave are led on the year by junior forward David Gomez, who leads the team in scoring (15.7), field goal percentage (.586) and rebounds per game (5.8). Freshman guard Kevin Sims is the only other player to average double figures for Tulane, averaging 10.0 points and 3.8 assists per game. Head coach Dave Dickerson is in his second year at the helm of the Tulane basketball program. Dickerson has compiled a record of 19-22 (.463) while with the Green Wave, and a 6-9 mark in C-USA games.
Scouting UAB
UAB will enter its contest at Tulane with an overall record of 9-7, and a 1-1 mark in league play. The Blazers are coming off a 74-64 overtime win over UCF last Wednesday in their C-USA home opener.
Junior guard Paul Delaney III, a two-time recipient this season of the Conference USA Player of the Week, leads the Blazers in points (17.4) and assists (5.5) per game, while also ranking fourth on the team with 4.9 boards a contest.
Along with Delaney, senior guard Wen Mukubu and sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard are also threats on offense. Mukubu averages 14.4 points per contest and a team-best 49.3 percent from beyond the arc. Kinnard ranks third on the team with 12.1 points per game, and also pulls down a team-leading 5.7 rebounds a game.
UAB head coach Mike Davis enters the game against the Green Wave with an overall record of 124-86 (.590) in his seventh season as head coach, and is 9-7 (.563) in his first season at UAB.
A UAB Win Would:
• Improve UAB's record to 10-7 overall and 2-1 in Conference USA play.
• Be the first UAB win in Fogelman Arena since a 76-66 win on Jan. 20, 2001 (four straight losses).
• Mark the 125th win in coach Mike Davis' career (211 games).
Last Time Out
Paul Delaney III hit a driving jump shot at the buzzer in regulation and made the go-ahead basket in overtime to lead UAB to a 74-64 victory over UCF. Delaney's clutch baskets helped UAB overcome a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation and gave the Blazers their 19th consecutive victory at home. Lawrence Kinnard scored 21 points to lead UAB. Wen Mukubu added 18 points and Delaney had 12 . Jermaine Taylor drove for a basket to give UCF a 51-41 lead with 3:10 left in regulation. Kinnard hit a 3-pointer and Mukubu hit a jumper to pull UAB to within 51-46. Delaney had only two points going into the final minute of regulation. But he hit four driving baskets in the final minute to send the game into overtime. UAB tied the game 55-55 on a 3-pointer by Kinnard with 18 seconds left in regulation. Payne scored inside to give UCF a 57-55 lead with three seconds left. But Delaney drove downfloor and hit a double-clutch 12-footer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Delaney's driving basket gave UAB a 59-57 lead to start the extra period. After a free throw by Peppers, Mukubu hit a 3-pointer to give UAB a 62-58 lead. The Blazers hit 12 free throws to stay in front down the stretch.
UAB-Tulane A Year Ago
Marvett McDonald and Paul Delaney III scored 13 points each to help lift UAB to an 87-82 victory over Tulane on Feb. 15, 2006. UAB had five players in double digit scoring with Lawrence Kinnard, Derrick Broom and Wen Mukubu all scoring 12 points. Carldell "Squeaky" Johnson hit the biggest shot of the night with UAB leading 82-80 when he sank a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded with 16.5 seconds left in the game. Johnson finished with nine points and tied his career-high 11 assists. Quincy Davis had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead Tulane. Ryan Williams scored 17 points for the Green Wave and Chris Moore had 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point range. David Gomez added 12 points and six rebounds. The Blazers led 42-36 at the half and their biggest lead came at 76-63 with 7:25 left to play, but Tulane did not give up. Moore hit two 3s, Andrew Garcia added another and Davis hit six free throws to pull the Green Wave within two points, but Johnson's buzzer-beating score sealed the victory for UAB.
100-Assist Mark
With 11 assists in the overtime victory against UCF last Wednesday, junior guard Paul Delaney III increased his season total to 88 helpers this season, an average of 5.4 assists per game. With 12 more assists this season, Delaney will reach the century mark in assists for the first time in his career. More importantly, it will mark the seventh consecutive season a Blazer has boasted more than 100 dimes in a season. The last time a UAB player did not get at least 100 assists in a campaign came during the 1999-2000 season, when LeAndrew Bass led the team with 90 helpers on the year.
Duo Double-Double
Wen Mukubu and Paul Delaney III each recorded a double-double in the Blazers' 74-64 overtime win over UCF. It marked the first time two UAB players recorded a double-double in the same game since Gabe Kennedy (12 pts., 11 reb.) and Sidney Ball (11 pts., 14 reb.) achieved the feat against Georgia Southern on Nov. 24, 2003.
Mukubu recorded his first career double-double with his 18 points and 10 rebounds in the contests, while Delaney's 18 points and 11 assists marked his third career double-double - all coming this season. In fact, Delaney's three double-doubles this season are tied for second-most in the league this season.
Three Amigos
When Paul Delaney III, Lawrence Kinnard and Wen Mukubu reach double figures, good things usually occur. The top three scorers on this year's team have accomplished the feat on eight occasions this season, winning six of those contests. The only time the Blazers lost a game when the trio hit double digits was to Washington State (71-60) and at Wyoming (93-87). Overall, UAB has won four straight times when the threesome score in double figures in a game.
Kinnard Is Cruisin'
Sophomore forward Lawrence Kinnard scored a career-high 21 points in the Blazers' 74-64 overtime victory against UCF last Wednesday. In fact, Kinnard has been one of the top offensive threats for UAB over its last three contests. During that stretch, the super sophomore leads the team in scoring (16.3), shooting percentage (54.3 percent) and three-point shooting percentage (55.6 percent), while also ranking second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and blocked shots (1.0).
As Cool As Ice
Through 16 games this season, there is one thing that is clear, junior guard Paul Delaney III wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. Most recently, he proved that point in the Blazers' 74-64 victory over UCF last Wednesday. With approximately a minute remaining and the Blazers trailing by five, Delaney would score 12 of the Blazers' last 28 points during the six-minute span, including the game-tying basket at the buzzer to send the game in overtime and the go ahead basket during the extra session. The Decatur, Ga. native did the same thing when the Blazers won at Cincinnati on Dec. 2. With his team trailing by five, 56-51, with 37 seconds remaining, Delaney scored the game's final eight points to lead the Blazers to a 59-57 victory.
