The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Open Three-Game Road Trip Thursday at Southern Miss
2/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB (20-4, 10-1) vs. Southern Miss (7-14, 4-6)
7:00 p.m. CST | Hattiesburg, Miss. | Green Coliseum
Live Stats | Live Audio | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men's basketball team begins its longest road trip of the season Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Blazers travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss at Green Coliseum.
Blazer fans can catch all the action by listening live to David Crane, "The Voice of the Blazers," on the flagship station for UAB men's basketball, WZRR-FM 99.5 Nash Icon.
UAB (20-4, 10-1) won its third straight game following a 104-67 victory over Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Seven Blazers scored in double figures to mark the third straight game in which at least five Blazers have reached double figures.
Sophomore forward Chris Cokley, who leads UAB in scoring with 13.6 points per game, finished with 14 points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes. Robert Brown, Lewis Sullivan and Thomas Smallwood all added 13 points apiece.
William Lee nearly finished with the third triple-double in program history, amassing 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight blocked shots. Lee, who already ranks third on the UAB all-time list for the most blocks in a single season, ranks third in the NCAA with 3.3 rejections per game. As a team, UAB is second in the country with 6.6 blocks per game.
Blazer guard Nick Norton added seven of the team's 24 assists to help UAB register at least 20 helpers for the eighth time this season. The Blazers average 19.0 assists per game as a team and ranks fourth in the NCAA.
Southern Miss (7-14, 4-6) dropped a pair of road games last week and has lost three of its last five games. The Golden Eagles, however, have won three of their last four home games, including two straight by double digits.
Senior guard Kourtlin Jackson leads Southern Miss with 11.6 points per game and stands second on the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Khari Price also scores in double figures (10.2 ppg) for the Golden Eagles.
UAB and Southern Miss meet on the hardwood for the 45th time when the two schools matchup on Thursday. The Blazers own a 27-17 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. UAB has won three straight against Southern Miss by an average of 13.7 points per game. Last year, UAB won both games against the Golden Eagles, including a 63-56 victory in Hattiesburg. Overall, UAB is 9-10 all-time in games played in Hattiesburg and has won three of the last five.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), on Instagram (@blazerhoops) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABMensBasketball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
