The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
UAB Edges Out Southern Miss 59-54
2/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2010
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) -Howard Crawford led all scorers with 17 points and UAB defeated Southern Mississippi 59-54 on Wednesday night. The win improved the Blazers to 20-5 overall (8-3 C-USA), which marks the 19th 20-win season in the program's 32 years.
"This was a very big win for our basketball team," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "Our guys came into a tough place to play, played with a lot of heart and showed a lot of toughness and we were able to get the win. Southern Miss is a very good basketball team and they are well-coached. They have been playing great basketball as of late, so it was important for us to come out of here with a victory."
UAB became the first team in Conference USA to reach the 20-win plateau. Additionally, it is only the second time in school history that a UAB team has reached 20 wins in three consecutive years during regular-season play. The feat was also accomplished during the 1983-86 seasons.
The Blazers used an 8-3 run in the final 2 minutes to put the Eagles (15-10, 5-6) away for the fifth straight time in the series history. The victory also moves UAB into sole possession of third place in the league standings..
Two more free throws by Crawford, two by Elijah Millsap and one by Aaron Johnson made it 58-51.
UAB shot 15-for-22 on free throws in the second half to Southern Miss' 8-for-13.
Jamarr Sanders added 14 points and Millsap 13 for UAB.
R.L. Horton led Southern Miss with 14 points.
UAB shot 44.2 percent from the floor and held Southern Miss to 40.9 percent shooting in the contest. As a result, the Blazers move to 15-0 on the year when holding the opposition to under 45-percent shooting in a contest and are now 18-0 when opponents fail to reach the 70-point plateau in a contest this year.
The Blazers will return home to take on the Houston Cougars in conference action on Saturday night at Bartow Arena. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on WUHT 107.7 FM.
