The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Men's Basketball Makes First Road Trip Of Season
12/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- The UAB men's basketball team will have a tough test in its first road game of the season when it travels to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX Sports South and is set to tip off at 1 p.m. CST.
UAB (3-0) is coming off an impressive 90-67 victory over Birmingham-Southern last Wednesday night. The Blazers enter the contest with four players averaging double figures, while 10 players average at least 10 minutes per game. UAB is also letting the defense do the talking. Last season, the Blazers led the nation in steals per game (11.6). This year is no different as UAB averages 12.3 steals per contest, while forcing opponents into an average of 25.7 turnovers.
Mississippi State enters the contest with an unblemished 5-0 record. The Bulldogs are led by junior Winsome Frazier, who averages 16.4 ppg. Senior Timmy Bowers is averaging 15.8 ppg and a team-high 5.0 assists per game, while junior transfer Lawrence Roberts averages 14.4 points and a team-high 11.8 boards per contest.
The Blazers and Bulldogs will meet tonight for just the seventh time in the series' history. The Blazers lead the all-time series, 4-2; however, Mississippi State took an 68-52 win in Bartow Arena last season. Both teams are very similar entering the game. Both are shooting .497 from the floor, both have four players averaging double digits in scoring and both have held each of their opponents under 75 points.
Kevin Henslee will call the play-by-play, while Barry Booker will do the color analysis for FOX Sports South. The game can also be heard locally on WYDE 101.1 FM with the pregame show beginning at 12:30 p.m. CST.
