The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
Men's Basketball Defeats Southern Miss, 84-71
1/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 18, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Morris Finley scored 19 points and Demario Eddins added 15 to lead UAB to an 84-71 victory over Southern Mississippi here Saturday night. The win - coupled by a Memphis loss against South Florida - puts UAB on top of the Conference USA National Division
"I was very pleased with out team's effort tonight," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "I thought we played with great tenacity. We came out, shot well and played with intensity on defense. Our bench players were the key to winning tonight's game. This is probably the best start-to-finish effort we've had this season."
Finley, UAB's leading scorer, was held to four points in the first half, but the Blazers still took a 40-32 lead at halftime. UAB (11-4, 3-1 Conference USA) built its lead to 20 points when Finley heated up in the second half.
Eddins scored all but two of his points in the first half, staking UAB to its early advantage. Cedric Davis was the third UAB player to score in double-digits, scoring 10 points.
Charles Gaines scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Greg Johnson added 15 to lead Southern Miss (9-6, 2-2).
UAB had lost two home games in a row and Southern Mississippi took an early 16-15 lead. But reserve guard Jeffrey Collins sparked an 8-0 run that put UAB in control.
Collins fed Eddins for a layup and then forced a turnover that led to another Eddins layup. After a basket by Brandon Tobias, Collins soared inside for a one-hand follow dunk, giving UAB a 23-16 lead. Southern Miss got no closer than five points the rest of the way.
The Golden Eagles outrebounded UAB 38-30, but the Blazers used a pressing defense to force 24 Southern Mississippi turnovers and collected 14 steals.
The Blazers will next travel to New Orleans, La. to take on Tulane on Saturday, January 25, at 2 p.m. CST. The game can be heard live on AM-1070 WAPI or it can be accessed through www.uabsports.com
