The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Jacksonville State
UAB Defeats Jacksonville State, 59-53
12/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2010
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -Cameron Moore scored 25 points and Aaron Johnson added 18, including nine in the final 3 minutes, as UAB held off Jacksonville State 59-53 on Wednesday night.
"I'm proud that we were able to get the win, but Jacksonville State played harder than we did," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "We have to get our players to realize that you have to play the same way, with the same effort, all the time. That's what really good teams do. You can't take anything away from Jacksonville State. They were coached very well and just had a well-executed game plan against us."
Moore was 10-of-15 from the field for the Blazers (6-1), who are 5-0 all-time against the Gamecocks (2-6).
The game was tied seven times in the first half, with Jacksonville State taking a 31-28 halftime edge.
UAB pulled ahead by five with 7:50 to go, but the Gamecocks knotted it again at 48 with 3:17 left. Johnson then had a layup, a three-point play and four free throws to seal the win.
"We have to get some other guys on the same page," Davis said. "Aaron (Johnson) is playing so hard, with so much energy right now, it's unbelievable. If there's a point guard out there who is better, I want to see him. I'm talking about an overall player, the way he can score, pass the ball, play defense, the way he takes charges. If we can get everyone playing that way, we can be a good team."
Johnson, who leads the country in assists per game (9.7), had five assists.
Stephen Hall scored 20 points on 10-for-21 shooting for Jacksonville State and Jeremy Bynum added 18 on 5-for-11 shooting.
The Gamecocks won the battle of the boards 36-31, but the Blazers had a 34-16 advantage in the paint.
UAB will next travel to Athens, Ga. to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday night at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET). The contest will be televised live on FOX Sports South."Georgia will be a tough opponent," Davis said. "Hopefully we can learn some things from this game to make sure we're ready to go. I like having just one day in between games because it really makes you prepare quickly for your next opponent. Our guys need to come out and play with better focus and concentration."
