UAB Dominates FIU En Route to a 84-65 Victory

Saturday, January 5

Bartow Arena

7 p.m.

UAB

-105, 20 CUSA

FIU

-105, 11 CUSA

FIU

UAB

UAB Dominates FIU En Route to a 84-65 Victory

1/5/2019 11:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

BIRMINGHAM – A dominating performance on both ends of the court, propelled the Blazers to an emphatic 84-65 victory over FIU on Saturday night at Bartow Arena as UAB improves to 2-0 in Conference USA play.

FIU (10-5, 1-1 C-USA) entered the game third in the nation in scoring, averaging 92.6 points per game but the UAB defense did what it has done all year and stifled the Panthers' attack. The Blazers entered the matchup holding opponents to just 66.3 points per game and held FIU to its lowest point total this season.

UAB (10-5, 2-0 C-USA) held the Panthers to 27.3 percent (15-for-55) shooting for the game and out rebounded FIU 48-29. Jeremiah Bell led UAB in rebounding with 10 on the night while Will Butler and Lewis Sullivan pitched in with nine and eight, respectively. Four different Blazers recorded a block.

Sullivan led all players in points with 22, matching his career high. The redshirt senior shot 75 percent from the floor (9-for-12), with a triple and was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.

He is the third Blazer to score 20 points in a game this season and UAB has now had a 20-point scorer in two of its last three contests. Four other Blazers scored in double digits with Tavin Lovan netting a career high 14 points. Jalen Perry dropped 13 while Makhtar Gueye scored 12 and Zack Bryant rounded out the double digit scoring with 11.

It was back-and-forth in the early going with FIU jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead before UAB bounced back and took its first lead of the game at 13-12. The lead changed hands seven times throughout the rest of the opening half with the Blazers taking a four-point advantage into the break, 38-34.

UAB came out of halftime and cranked things up, going on a 20-5 run over the first 7:45 of the second half. The Green and Gold took their biggest lead of the game at 7:31 of the second half, leading FIU by 26.

The Blazers led for almost 27 minuets of game time (26:52) compared to the Panthers' 9:46. UAB hammered FIU in the paint, outscoring it 54-12 inside. The Blazers held the advantage in second chance points (19-9), fast break points (10-2) and points off the bench (23-15).

The win caps off a successful five-game homestand which saw UAB go 4-1. The Blazers will now head back out on the road to face Louisiana Tech on Thursday, January 10 and Southern Miss on Saturday, January 12.

For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).