The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Jacksonville State
UAB Downs Jacksonville State, 87-62
11/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2009
Final Stats |
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JACKSONVILLE, Ala. -- Junior guard Elijah Millsap collected 18 points and 11 rebounds, while junior Aaron Johnson added a career-high 17 points to lead UAB past Jacksonville State, 87-62, on Tuesday night at Pete Mathews Arena. The duo led five Blazers who scored in double figures as UAB improved to 3-1 on the season.
After a closely played opening half, the Blazers came out on fire in the second half and never looked back. UAB shot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) and connected on 5-of-7 three-pointers over the final 20 minutes. The Green and Gold outscored the Gamecocks, 50-25, in the second stanza to cruise to the 25-point victory.
"I thought we played just okay in the first half, but really did a good job in the second half," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "We gave a great effort in the second half. I told our guys at the half to not relax at any point and come out fighting. We were able to wear them down in the second half. I thought our guys did a great job tonight."
Not only did Johnson set a career-high in points, but he tied his career-best with five rebounds in the contest. He also led the team in assists (6) and steals (4) in his 32 minutes of action.
Junior Jamarr Sanders collected 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, while senior George Drake, who started his first game for UAB, added 10 points and six boards. Senior Kenneth Cooper scored 10 points to help the cause.
The Blazers got off to a good start as Millsap scored his team's first seven points, leading UAB to a 14-4 lead just under five minutes into the contest. But with the Blazers holding a 24-16 lead, JSU's Jeremy Bynum led his team on a 9-0 run to give the Gamecocks a 25-24 advantage with 8:30 remaining in the opening stanza.
The team's traded buckets from that point on and eventually would end the half tied at 37 all. During the first half, the score was tied seven times, while the lead changed hands eight times.
Similar to the opening half, Millsap would jump start things by scoring UAB's first five points to give his team a little breathing room. Leading 56-51 at the 12:01 mark, senior Howard Crawford and freshman Dexter Fields connected on back-to-back treys. The buckets started a 21-5 run over the next 6:03 to put the game away,
Stephen Hall led Jacksonville State (1-1) with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Trenton Marshall scored 14, Jeremy Bynum had 12 and Jay-R Strowbridge added 11 points.
The Blazers would go on to outscore the Gamecocks, 36-20, in the paint. UAB had only seven turnovers in the contest, compared to 14 by JSU, which resulted in a 17-8 lead in points off turnovers. The Blazers also collected a season-best 16 assists and eight steals.
UAB will next be in action on Saturday, Nov. 21, when it hosts Southeastern Conference rival Georgia at 7 p.m. CT. The contest will be televised live on CSS and can also be heard on the flagship station, WUHT 107.7 FM.
"We're looking forward to a great game with Georgia coming to town, and hopefully a great crowd," Davis said. "It's going to be our first home game and we hope to feed off our fans' energy. We had a great crowd tonight with all the fans that travelled tonight and we are appreciative of the support."
UAB-JACKSONVILLE STATE NOTES
Aaron Johnson scored a career high 17 points, surpassing his previous high of 13 points against UTEP on Feb. 27, 2008.
Johnson tied his career high of five rebounds. The last time he recorded five rebounds was against Troy on Dec. 20, 2008.
Elijah Millsap scored the first seven points of the first half and the first five points of the second half for the Blazers.
Millsap scored double figures for the fourth straight game, finishing the game with a total of 18 points. Millsap has led UAB in scoring for three out of the four games this season.
Millsap recorded his second double double of the season and 10th of his career with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Jamar Sanders scored a career-high 11 points and tied his career high of five rebounds.
UAB had five players score in double figures. Johnson, Sanders, Millsap, Drake and Cooper all finished with double digits. The last time UAB had five players score in double figures was on March 13, 2009 vs. Tulsa.
Three Blazers recorded dunks against JSU. Kenneth Cooper and Sanders posted their first career dunks, while Cameron recorded his second career dunk and first of the 2009-10 season.
