The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Troy
Second Half Surge Leads UAB By Troy, 71-59
11/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- UAB guards Jekore Tyler and Preston Purifoy combined for 22 points after intermission, while Cameron Moorejust missed the rare 20-20 feat in points and rebounds, as the UAB men's basketball team defeated the Troy Trojans, 71-59, on Tuesday night at Bartow Arena.
The win marked the first of the year for UAB (1-2), while the loss dropped Toy to 1-3 on the young season.
"We did a great job defensively," UAB head coach Mike Davissaid. "Troy is a very well-coached basketball team and their zone really frustrated us in the first half. Quincy (Taylor) and Jekore did a nice job for us. I thought Jekore provided a spark for us in the second half."
Moore, the Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 22 points and four blocks for his second double-double of the season. He finished 7-for-13 from the field and 8-for-11 from the foul line.
"Cameron had 17 rebounds and other guys grabbed some rebounds, so our team really showed they could rebound the basketball," Davis said. "We made some shots and picked up the intensity.
The first half featured seven ties and five lead changes and in a back-and-forth battle that saw the score knotted at 31-all heading into the locker room with neither squad holding a greater advantage than five.
In the second half, trailing 39-38 with 14:05 remaining, UAB embarked on a 12-3 run, sparked by Tyler's performance off the bench who scored seven of the points during the stretch to take a 50-42 with 10:44 remaining.
Later in the second half, with the Blazers up five 54-49, Purifoy connected for a pair of treys during a 9-0 spurt to put the game out reach. Purifoy ended with 11 points, including a trio of shots from downtown.
Fellow post player Ovie Sokoposted a double-double of his own, with 11 points and 10 boards of his own.
Ironically, the last time two UAB players had a double-double in the same game was against the Trojans on Nov. 29, 2010. Three Blazers - Jamarr Sanders (23 pts., 10 rebs.), Cameron Moore (16 pts., 10 rebs.) and Ovie Soko(10 pts., 13 rebs.) - accomplished the feat.
The Trojans kept the game close thanks to their shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down seven three-point shots on 13 attempts in the first half. Troy finished 11-for-23 on 3-point attempts for the game.
The Blazers next game is on Friday, Nov. 26 at Wichita State, with game time scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
