The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball Set To Play Birmingham-Southern
12/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's basketball team is set to do battle against crosstown foe Birmingham-Southern on Wednesday night in Bartow Arena. The two teams will be playing for the second time in the series' history, and will meet on the Blazers' home court for a second consecutive season.
UAB (2-0) is coming off an impressive 83-75 victory over Richmond on Saturday night. The Blazers used defense to capture the win, forcing the Spiders into 24 turnovers and collecting 12 steals. For the season, UAB is forcing its opponent into an average of 24 turnovers a game, while also collecting 12 steals per contest. The Blazers have improved on the boards as well from last season, averaging 45.0 rebounds per contest compared to 41.5 for their opponents.
Birmingham-Southern (3-1) enter Wednesday's contest with a 3-1 overall record, the best start to a season since starting 4-0 in 2000. The Panthers return three starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 19-9 team. Currently, BSC is led by senior guard Derrick Williams who averages team-bests of 14.3 ppg and 3.5 assists per contest. Senior Grant Davis leads the team with 9.0 rebounds per contest, while Shema Mbyirukira leads the team with 4.0 bpg.
The Blazers and Panthers will meet for just the second time in the series' history. The Blazers captured a 71-53 victory last season in the only game in the history between the two schools. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
