The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Florida A&M
UAB Defeats Florida A&M, 90-59
11/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 28, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Howard Crawford scored a career-high 26 points to lead four UAB players in double figures in a 90-59 rout of Florida A&M on Saturday night.
UAB has won 27 consecutive non-conference home games and is off to its best start since 1998-99, when the Blazers started 8-1.
"I thought (Florida A&M) did a great job in the first half, defensively," Davis said. "They went to a zone, so it kind of slowed us up a little bit. I'm happy with the win. I'm happy with the way our guys bounced back and played. It was good for our guys.
Crawford connected on 8-of-10 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws in the contest. He also led the team with eight rebounds in his 28 minutes of action.
"He was good," Davis said of Crawford's play. "He scored 26 points and got eight rebounds. I'm more proud of the rebounds than anything. Getting eight rebounds is pretty good."
Junior guard Elijah Millsap added 18 points, Jamarr Sanders scored 13 and Aaron Johnson finished with 11 points and a game-high eight assists for the Blazers, who have won five consecutive games after rolling to a 38-23 halftime lead against the Rattlers (0-7).
UAB ended the first half on a 13-2 run and scored the first four points of the second for a 42-23 lead with 18:17 remaining. Johnson's layup stretched the lead to 46-25 with 17:37 left.
However, the Rattlers remained in striking distance, cutting the Blazer lead to 13 on several occasions, the last coming at the 7:45 mark. But UAB, which shot 50.9 percent from the field (29-for-57), finished the game on an 18-2 run that provided the final margin.
Christopher Walker led Florida A&M with 12 points and eight rebounds.
UAB finished the game with a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint. The Blazers forced FAMU into 19 turnovers, which resulted in a 28-14 edge in points off turnovers.
The Blazers will next be in action on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when they take on Middle Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena.
UAB will continue the homestand with a special contest on Friday, Dec. 4, when it hosts East Tennessee State in the UAB Health System Gene Bartow Classic, as the athletic department plans to pay a special tribute to the legendary head coach. The Blazers will welcome former UAB head coach Murry Bartow and his Bucs for a 7 p.m. start.
Tickets for both contests can be purchased online at UABSports.com or by calling 205-975-UAB1 (8221).
