The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sunday, March 23
Santa Clara, Calif.
8 p.m.
UAB
at
Santa Clara
UAB Men’s Basketball Travels to Santa Clara
3/22/2025 5:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – UAB men's basketball (23-12) will face Santa Clara (21-12) on Sunday night in the second round of the NIT. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT.
WATCH
Sunday's game will air on ESPNU with Eric Rothman and Tim Welsh on the call
LISTEN
David Crane will call the game for the Blazers on 100.5 ESPN.
SERIES HISTORY
The Blazers lead the all-time series 2-1 overall. UAB won the only meeting in Santa Clara during the 1990-91 season and won the last meeting between the two programs during the 2008-09 season.
LAST TIME OUT
UAB went on the road and picked up an NIT opening round victory at Saint Joseph's by a score of 69-65. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Christian Coleman added 15 points and seven boards. The Blazers' shot only .368 from the field, but held the Hawks to a .333 percentage from the floor.
YAX SEASON
Yaxel Lendeborg is posting even more impressive numbers during his second year at UAB. He is averaging 17.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season for the Blazers, leading the team in each category. He is the third Blazer (Carlos Williams, Andy Kennedy) to open a season with three straight games with at least 20 points. Lendeborg earned AAC Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists in a pair of wins over Tulane and Florida Atlantic. He has also shown his ability to find his teammates, recording five or more assists in 14 games this season, including a streak of seven-straight games with at least five assists. Lendeborg set the UAB program record with 43 career double-doubles and has 24 on the season, surpassing his single-season program record that he set last season.
JUCO DAWGS
UAB has embraced the JUCO ranks during Andy Kennedy's time in Birmingham and the 2024-25 roster features seven players that have played at a Junior College including Christian Coleman (South Plains), Greg Gordon (Dyersburg State), Marquis Hargrove (Arizona Western), Ja'Borri McGhee (Garden City/South Plains), Yaxel Lendeborg (Arizona Western), and Alejandro Vasquez (Salt Lake). JUCO players accounted for 41.7% of the Blazers' scoring last season and 48.4% of their rebounding. This season, JUCO players have accounted for 70.9% of the Blazers' scoring and 64.2% of their rebounding.
GET TO THE LINE
The Blazers were one of the best teams in the country at getting to the charity stripe in 2023-24, finishing eighth in the country in free throws made per game at 17.8. This year, the Blazers are again getting to the free throw line at a high rate. UAB is 73rd in the nation with 15.5 free throws made per game and 43rd in the country at 76.2 percent from the charity stripe.
BLAZER BOOSTERS
As we launch into the 2025 giving year, we encourage you to further your support across UAB Athletics and help the Blazers reach new heights in the American Athletic Conference. For more information on ways to show your generosity to Blazer student athletes through the Blazer Scholarship Fund, capital initiatives, and sport specific giving go to blazerboosters.com or call us at (205) 996-9969.
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
WATCH
Sunday's game will air on ESPNU with Eric Rothman and Tim Welsh on the call
LISTEN
David Crane will call the game for the Blazers on 100.5 ESPN.
SERIES HISTORY
The Blazers lead the all-time series 2-1 overall. UAB won the only meeting in Santa Clara during the 1990-91 season and won the last meeting between the two programs during the 2008-09 season.
LAST TIME OUT
UAB went on the road and picked up an NIT opening round victory at Saint Joseph's by a score of 69-65. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Christian Coleman added 15 points and seven boards. The Blazers' shot only .368 from the field, but held the Hawks to a .333 percentage from the floor.
YAX SEASON
Yaxel Lendeborg is posting even more impressive numbers during his second year at UAB. He is averaging 17.7 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season for the Blazers, leading the team in each category. He is the third Blazer (Carlos Williams, Andy Kennedy) to open a season with three straight games with at least 20 points. Lendeborg earned AAC Player of the Week honors after averaging 23.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists in a pair of wins over Tulane and Florida Atlantic. He has also shown his ability to find his teammates, recording five or more assists in 14 games this season, including a streak of seven-straight games with at least five assists. Lendeborg set the UAB program record with 43 career double-doubles and has 24 on the season, surpassing his single-season program record that he set last season.
JUCO DAWGS
UAB has embraced the JUCO ranks during Andy Kennedy's time in Birmingham and the 2024-25 roster features seven players that have played at a Junior College including Christian Coleman (South Plains), Greg Gordon (Dyersburg State), Marquis Hargrove (Arizona Western), Ja'Borri McGhee (Garden City/South Plains), Yaxel Lendeborg (Arizona Western), and Alejandro Vasquez (Salt Lake). JUCO players accounted for 41.7% of the Blazers' scoring last season and 48.4% of their rebounding. This season, JUCO players have accounted for 70.9% of the Blazers' scoring and 64.2% of their rebounding.
GET TO THE LINE
The Blazers were one of the best teams in the country at getting to the charity stripe in 2023-24, finishing eighth in the country in free throws made per game at 17.8. This year, the Blazers are again getting to the free throw line at a high rate. UAB is 73rd in the nation with 15.5 free throws made per game and 43rd in the country at 76.2 percent from the charity stripe.
BLAZER BOOSTERS
As we launch into the 2025 giving year, we encourage you to further your support across UAB Athletics and help the Blazers reach new heights in the American Athletic Conference. For more information on ways to show your generosity to Blazer student athletes through the Blazer Scholarship Fund, capital initiatives, and sport specific giving go to blazerboosters.com or call us at (205) 996-9969.
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
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