The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB, Memphis Renew Rivalry with Saturday Matinee Matchup
12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB (5-4) vs. Memphis (6-2)
12 p.m. CST | Memphis, Tenn. | FedEx Forum | ESPN3
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Old Conference USA rivals meet for the first time since 2013 when UAB travels to Memphis, Tenn., Saturday at noon to face Memphis from FedEx Forum on ESPN3.
UAB (5-4) enters the weekend coming off an 84-73 win Wednesday at Stephen F. Austin that snapped the Lumberjacks' 31-game home winning streak, which was the third-longest in the country behind Kansas and South Dakota State. UAB also ended Old Dominion's 32-game home winning streak last season with an overtime win at the Constant Convocation Center.
Blazer freshman Javien Williams scored a career-high 21 points to go along with five rebounds to lead UAB to its 11th win in its last 14 road games. The Birmingham, Ala., native started for the first time in his career and earned the No. 2 play Thursday on ESPN Sportscenter's Top 10.
William Lee added 14 points, nine rebounds and five blocks against the Lumberjacks and now ranks 15th in the NCAA with 3.0 blocks per game. Lee is averaging 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 62.5 percent from the field over his last five games.
Dirk Williams tallied 13 points and four rebounds at Stephen F. Austin and ranks second on the team with 11.3 points per game. Williams also stands first on the team with a .909 free throw percentage and has helped UAB rank 29th in the nation in free throw shooting at 76.5 percent.
Memphis (6-2) played its first road game of the year last Saturday and fell 85-77 at Ole Miss in its most recent outing. The Tigers, however, are 5-0 at home and have won all five games by at least 13 points.
Tiger sophomore guard Dedric Lawson leads Memphis and ranks first in the American Athletic Conference with 20.3 points per game. Lawson also leads the team with 10.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field.
Guards KJ Lawson (14.9 ppg) and Markel Crawford (13.0 ppg) also score in double figures for the Tigers.
UAB and Memphis will meet on the hardwood for the 47th time in school history when the two schools battle on Saturday. UAB is 138-114 all-time against schools currently in the American Athletic Conference and has a winning record against East Carolina, Houston, SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, UConn and USF. The Blazers most recently played the league last season and posted a 79-68 victory at USF.
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), Instagram (@blazerhoops) and Snapchat (@UAB_MBB).
