The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Takes On East Carolina In Monday Night Conference Showdown
1/16/2011 12:00:00β―AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2011
UAB Game Notes 
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - After a short two-day break, the UAB men's basketball team will return to the hardwood when they take on the East Carolina Pirates in Conference USA action on Monday night. Tip time is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) and can be heard live on the Blazer Sports Network, 107.7 FM WUHT.
UAB travelled straight from Tulsa, Okla. to Greenville, N.C. on Sunday afternoon and practiced Sunday night at Minges Coliseum on the Campus of East Carolina University.
Monday night's contest marks the second of a four-game stretch of league games in a week's time, culminating with a pair of contests on Wednesday (SMU) and Saturday (Memphis) at Bartow Arena.
GAME INFORMATION
Jan. 17, 2011 • 7 pm ET • Greenville, N.C. • Minges Coliseum (8,000)
RADIO (Flagship: WUHT 107.7 FM): Blazer Sports Network
David Crane (play-by-play), Aaron Jordan (analyst) and Jon Gentile (engineer)
TV: None
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TONIGHT'S GAME
• Monday's contest marks the 11th meeting in series history between UAB and East Carolina. The Blazers hold an all-time advantage of 9-1 over the previous 10 contests. As a matter of fact, UAB head coach Mike Davis has never lost when facing the Pirates, owning a perfect 5-0 record. Furthermore, the Blazers have had success when facing the Pirates in Greenville, N.C., carrying a perfect 4-0 mark.
• UAB senior guard Aaron Johnson set a career-high and tied the school's single-game record with 14 assists in the 100-97 triple overtime win vs. UTEP on Jan. 8. Johnson comes into Monday's contest leading the nation in assists per game (8.5). The 2011 Bob Cousy Award nominee now has six double-digit assist games this season, which is also a new school record. He now has 128 assists compared to just 55 turnovers on the campaign.
• The Blazers are proving to be a second half team this season. Through 14 games, UAB is averaging 38.9 points in the second half and outscoring the competition by 6.9 points (38.9-32.0). In comparison, the Blazers are putting up just 30.3 points and have a 0.4 advantage in the first half of games this season (30.3-29.9).
• UAB tied a school record with 33 three-point attempts in the triple overtime win over UTEP on Jan. 8. On the year, the Blazers have had a big advantage beyond the arc, marking 121-of-342 three-pointers (.354) compared to 74-of-252 (.294) from three-point range by the opposition.
BLAZING BITS
• UAB head coach Mike Davis owns a 42-24 (.636) record in Conference USA contests. He has led the Blazers to at least 11 league wins in three consecutive seasons.
• Over the past four seasons (2007-pr.), UAB has an impressive record of 81-36 (.692). Coming into this year, the Blazers had collected 70 wins over the previous three seasons (2007-10), which averaged out to 23.3 wins a year over the last three years. The 70 victories is the best three-year stretch in terms of number of victories since winning 71 games from 1984-87 (71-31).
• UAB is now in the midst of its 33rd season of basketball during the 2010-11 campaign. The Blazers have had much success on the hardwood, boasting an overall program record of 654-379 (.632) - an average of over 20 wins per season (20.1).
About UAB
• UAB is coming off a 78-62 loss at Tulsa on Saturday night, giving the Blazers their first league defeat of the year (11-4, 1-1). The Green and Gold was down most of the contest, but managed to cut the lead to six points with approximately four minutes remaining. However, the Blazers never got any closer as Tulsa shot 70-percent in the second half to thawrt any sort of comeback attempt.
• During head coach Mike Davis' five seasons at UAB, the Blazers own a home mark of 58-10 (.852). Furthermore, over the last four seasons alone, the Blazers boast a record of 49-6 (.891) in games played at Bartow Arena.
• Senior point guard Aaron Johnson recorded season highs of 26 points, 14 assists and seven rebounds in the win over over UTEP (1/8). He currently leads the nation in assists per game, with an average of 8.5. Johnson, whose 14 assists were not only a career mark, but also tied the single-game school record, now has racked up 128 assists and only 55 turnovers this season. He is also contributing 10.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest.
• Senior Jamarr Sanders leads the team and ranks fourth in C-USA with 17.9 ppg, while also averaging 4.5 rpg. He leads the Blazers with 39 three-pointers made.
• UAB junior Cameron Moore leads the team in rebounding (9.3) and field goal percentage (.521), while also ranking second on the team in scoring (17.1). Moore ranks second in the league in rebounding average, fifth in field goal percentage and seventh in scoring average.
• Sophomore forward Ovie Soko is fourth on the team in scoring (9.2 ppg) and second in rebounding (5.1 rpg).
• With the win over UTEP, head coach Mike Davis improved to 96-52 (.649) during his five seasons at UAB, including an 81-36 (.692) mark over his last four years alone (including the 2010-11 season). He has a career mark of 211-131 (.617) in 11 seasons as a head coach at Indiana and UAB.
About East Carolina
• East Carolina enters Monday's matchup sporting a 9-7 overall mark and a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Pirates opened league play with a hard-fought 61-58 loss at No. 21 Memphis on Jan 8. ECU earned its first league victory last Saturday with a 76-67 victory over Tulane. The win was just the Pirates' second over their last seven contests.
• Senior guard Jontae Sherrod leads three players averaging double figures with 14.1 points a game. He also is the team's best three-point threat, connecting on 41.9 percent from beyond the arc.
• Junior forward Darrious Morrow (11.1 ppg) and senior guard/forward Jamar Abrams (11.0 ppg) each average double figures. Morrow also leads the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg) and field goal percentage (.533). Meanwhile, Abrams is second on the team in threepoint shooting, connecting on 41.0 from deep and third in rebounding (4.1 rpg).
• Point guard Brock Young, who has fought through an injury this season, has steadily improved since coming back to the team. He is averaging 9.1 points and leads the team with 4.2 assists a game.
• As a team, the Pirates are outscoring the opposition by 4.8 points a game (69.7-64.9), while shooting .441 from the floor and .363 from beyond the arc. However, ECU is averaging 15.4 turnovers per contest, compared to 14.1 assists a game.
• Head coach Jeff Lebo is in his first season at the helm of the East Carolina Program. Lebo, who has coached at Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga and at Auburn prior to coming to ECU, has a career record of 220-163 (.573).
Notes From East Carolina Game
• Justin Hurtt scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half and Steven Idlet had 16 points and five rebounds as Tulsa pulled away from UAB to win 78-62 on Saturday night at Reynolds Coliseum.
• Jamarr Sanders led UAB with 22 points, making 10 of 22 field goals. Freshman Preston Purifoy finished with a career-high 13 points and Cameron Moore added 11, all coming in the first half.
• The Blazers erased most of a 15-point first-half deficit and trailed just 62-56 with 4:01 remaining. Hurtt hit a mid-range jumper and Bryson Pope scored on a steal to push the lead to 66-56. Tulsa closed the game on an 8-0 run, which included a breakaway dunk by Hurtt with a minute to play.
• Tulsa established itself early in often in the low post, outscoring UAB, 32-28, in the paint and owning a big 37-23 advantage on the boards. The Golden Hurricane also had a big edge at the free throw line, going 18-of-26 compared to the Blazers five attempts (3-of-5).
Last Year vs. East Carolina
• UAB defeated East Carolina 76-68 in the Conference USA opener for both teams on Jan. 6, 2010. It was the junior guard's conference-leading eighth double-double of the season.
• Jamarr Sanders had 16 points, with four 3-pointers, and Aaron Johnson scored 15.
• After the Blazers used a 16-4 run to lead 36-33 at halftime, East Carolina scored the first six points of the second half. UAB then went on a 19-2 run for a 55-41 margin with 11:03 left.
• The Blazers owned a big advantage on the boards, outrebounding the Pirates by 16, 39-23. UAB also had 15 offensive rebounds, compared to only two offensive boards by ECU, which resulted in a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points.
East Carolina Game Postponed
• UAB's Conference USA men's basketball game at East Carolina tonight was originally slated for last Wednesday.
• It is believed to be the first time that the Blazers had a conference game pushed back. The contest was postponed due to a winter storm across the Southeast region.
Minute-Men
• Three UAB players enter the East Carolina game averaging over 34 minutes a game.
• Aaron Johnson (36.1 mpg) leads the league, while Cameron Moore (34.9 mpg) ranks second in minutes played a game. Additionally, Jamarr Sanders' 34.4 minutes a game ranks fifth among C-USA players.
• Three Blazers played over 50 minutes in the triple-overtime victory over UTEP. Johnson and Moore led the team with 54 minutes, while freshman Quincy Taylor, who made his first career start, played 50 minutes.
Who's Hot?
• Jamarr Sanders - Has recorded 20-point games in three of last four contests, including a career-high 29-point performance in the win over VCU ... Averaging 22.6 ppg over his last five contests.
• Preston Purifoy - Came off the bench vs. Tulsa to strike for a career-high 13 points ... went 5-of-6 from the floor and connected on all three of his three-point attempts ... had scored a combined 15 points during his previous eight contests prior to Saturday's outing.
Saving The Best For Second Half
• The Blazers are proving to be a second-half team this season.
• That was no more evident than UAB's second-half performance in the win over VCU on Dec. 21. In that contest, the Blazers trailed by 12, 33-21, at the half and by as many as 19 in the second half only to pull out an incredible 68-65 win. UAB outscored the Rams, 47-32 over the final 20 minutes.
• Through 14 games, UAB is averaging 39.2 points in the second half and outscoring the competition by 8.0 points over the final 20 minutes (38.9-32.0). In comparison, the Blazers are putting up just 30.3 points and have a 0.4 advantage in the first half of games this season (30.3-29.9).
• UAB has outscored its opponents in the second half in all but four contests this season (at Middle Tennessee, at Arizona State, at Duke and at Tulsa).
Second-Half Sensation
• A big reason for UAB's second-half surge this season has been the play of Jamarr Sanders.
• In UAB's 15 games this year, Sanders has averaged 5.9 points during the opening 20 minutes, going 32-for-86 (.372) from the floor and 10-for-38 (.263) from beyond the arc. However, over the last 20 minutes, he is averaging 12.0 points, connecting on 65-of-130 (.500) from the field and 29-of-69 (.420) treys.
• On the season, Sanders has recorded only four double-digit scoring performances in the first half, but has collected 13 double-digit efforts in the second half.
• Against VCU (12/21), Sanders scored 19 of his career-high 29 points in the second half, including 12 points over the last four minutes to help turn a 19-point second-half deficit into a 68-65 UAB win.
The Nation's Leader
• Senior point guard and 2011 Bob Cousy Award nominee Aaron Johnson is leading the nation with 8.5 apg, racking up 128 assists with only 55 turnovers. He now has 553 career assists and needs only 45 more helpers to break the school record of 597, held by former UAB great Steve Mitchell.
• With 14 assists in the triple overtime win vs. UTEP on Jan. 8, the senior guard set his career high and tied the single-game school record, set by Jack Kramer back in 1990. He now has a school record six double-digit assist games this year.
• Johnson became the first player in school history to record three consecutive double-digit assist games. He had 10 assists at MTSU (11/17), 12 at Arizona State (11/20) and 12 vs. South Alabama (11/23).
• The Chicago, Ill. native is also making his mark on the defensive end of the floor. A member of the C-USA All-Defensive team a year ago, Johnson leads the team with 25 steals and 22 charges drawn this year.
