The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Houston
UAB Tops Houston, 68-55
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2011
HOUSTON (AP) - Ovie Soko and Preston Purifoy each finished with 17 points to lead UAB to its 20th win of the season with a 68-55 victory over Houston on Saturday. The Blazers' victory coupled with losses by Memphis and Southern Miss moved UAB into sole possession of first place in the C-USA standings with two games remaining in the regular season.
Jamarr Sanders scored 18 points for the Blazers (20-7, 10-4 Conference USA), who reached the 20-win mark for the fourth straight season. It marks the first time in school history that the Blazers have reached 20 regular season wins for four consecutive seasons.
Aaron Johnson had 10 assists to extend his school record with nine double-assist games in a season. Johnson is five assists away from breaking the single-season school record of 209 held by Jack Kramer (1990-91).
Maurice McNeil had 14 points, Kendrick Washington 13 and Zamal Nixon 11 for Houston (12-15, 4-10).
Sanders hit three 3-pointers and Purifoy had two during a 21-2 run in the early going, giving UAB a 25-8 lead. The Blazers held a 38-24 halftime advantage and increased the lead to as much as 25 points in the second half.
The Blazers will next travel to take on Southern Miss on Wednesday night in Hattiesburg, Miss. The contest, which will be televised on CSS, is set to tip off at 6 p.m. CT.
