The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Host WKU Saturday on Senior Day
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
WKU (14-14, 6-9) vs. UAB (23-5, 13-2)
11:00 a.m. CST | Birmingham, Ala. | Bartow Arena | FSN
Live Stats | Live Audio | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB men's basketball team closes its home schedule Saturday at 11 a.m. when the Blazers host WKU on Senior Day from Bartow Arena.
All fans are encouraged to stay after the game to join in a tribute to senior guard Robert Brown. Brown ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game and has made a team-high 56 three-pointers.
The game will be televised live on FSN with Chip Caray and Mike Jarvis on the call. Blazer fans can also catch all the action by listening live to David Crane, `The Voice of the Blazers," and Blazer legend Steve Mitchell on the flagship station for UAB men's basketball, WZRR-FM 99.5 Nash Icon.
UAB (23-5, 13-2) ran its home winning streak to 24 games Thursday following its 95-91 victory over Marshall. The victory put the Blazers two games ahead of the Thundering Herd with three games remaining in the regular season. UAB can clinch the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA Tournament and at least a share of the regular-season title with a win Saturday.
Junior guard Dirk Williams scored a team-high 19 points and hit four three-pointers as four Blazers scored in double figures. Williams has served as the offensive catalyst over the last two games and is shooting 86.7 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from beyond the arc during that stretch.
Sophomore Chris Cokley added 16 points and nine rebounds and stands as the Blazers' top scorer (13.7 ppg) and rebounder 6.6 (rpg). William Lee added three more blocked shots and leads C-USA and ranks third in the NCAA with 3.2 rejections per game. The Plantersville, Ala., native has blocked at least one shot in 40 straight games and ranks third on the UAB all-time single-season list with 89 blocks thus far this season.
WKU (14-14, 6-9) picked up its third road win of the season Thursday when it posted a 78-72 win at Middle Tennessee to move into ninth place in the league standings. The Hilltoppers are one of only two Conference USA teams to defeat UAB this season, as WKU snapped the Blazers' 14-game winning streak earlier in the year with a 69-62 victory at Diddle Arena.
Sophomore forward Justin Johnson leads WKU with 15.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while Aaron Cosby stands second with 12.7 points per game and a team-best 65 three-pointers made.
UAB is 20-11 in the all-time series with WKU and has won two of the last three meetings.
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).
