The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Jacksonville State
UAB Cruises Past Jacksonville State, 75-48
12/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2008
UAB-Jacksonville State box score (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard collected 25 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead UAB to a 75-48 win over instate foe Jacksonville State. Senior guard/forward Robert Vaden added 21 as the Blazers shot 51-percent from the floor and 42-percent from deep to snap the Gamecocks six-game win streak.
Senior guard Paul Delaney III collected 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, while junior forward Howard Crawford came off the bench to add 12 points and four boards in the victory. Additionally, Delaney became the second Blazer this season to reach the 1,000-point plateau, when he connected on a layup at the 5:03 mark of the first half. Kinnard earned his 1,000th-career point during the first half against Oklahoma (11/18).
"I thought the guys came out strong tonight and fought hard," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "I'm not surprised at all with the way we played. We shot the ball well as a team, and that really got us going early. We got the lead early, and we were able to maintain it throughout. It was good for us to come home tonight and get a win.
Kinnard has now recorded four straight 20-plus point games and is averaging 24.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over the stretch.
"I'm very happy with the effort from Lawrence tonight," Davis said. "He did an excellent job on the perimeter and knocked down some big shots for us in the first half. I've been very pleased with the way Lawrence has played over the past few games."
After Jacksonville State (6-2) jumped out to a 9-6 lead, the Blazers responded with a 23-5 run and led 29-11 with 9:29 remaining before the break. Kinnard, who sparked the run with eight points, finished with five three-pointers in the first half to stake the Blazers to a 44-24 halftime lead.
The Blazers extended their lead to as much as 37 points in the second half at 69-32 lead at the 8:31 mark of the second half.
The UAB defense played strong all night, holding the Gamecocks to just 29.5 percent from the floor and 17.6 percent from three-point range. Brandon Crawford, JSU's leading scorer entering the contest, finished 0-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. Additionally, the Blazers collected a season-high six blocked shots, including a career-high tying four blocks by Kinnard.
The Blazers will return to action when they take on Troy on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Bartow Arena. The contest will mark the second time this season the two teams will meet on the hardwood. UAB opened the season at Troy on Nov. 15 and captured an 87-66 victory.
