The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Set for Road Contest at USF
12/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UAB (7-3) vs. USF (3-8)
6:00 p.m. CST | Tampa, Fla. | USF Sun Dome
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | ASN Clearance Report | Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB men's basketball team plays its final road game of 2015 Saturday at 6 p.m. (CST) when the Blazers travel to Tampa, Fla., to face USF at the USF Sun Dome.
Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN3 and ASN with Mike Gleason and Paul Hewitt on the call. The game will be shown locally in Birmingham on CW21 WTTO.
David Crane, "The Voice of the Blazers," will also broadcast the game live on the flagship station for UAB men's basketball, WZRR-FM 99.5 Nash Icon.
UAB (7-3) registered its fourth straight victory Wednesday with its 96-54 win over USC Upstate. Junior guard Dirk Williams scored a career-high 22 points and hit four three-pointers to help the Blazers finish with a season-best 12 treys.
Sophomore Chris Cokley added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting and enters play ranked 13th in the NCAA with a .650 field goal percentage. The Savannah, Ga., native also leads UAB in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg).
William Lee tallied his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. Lee stands eighth in the NCAA with 3.1 blocked shots per game and UAB ranks seventh in the country with 6.5 rejections per game.
Nick Norton tied a career-high with 10 assists as the Blazers recorded the third-highest single game output in school history with 30. Norton boasts a team-high 49 assists and ranks sixth in the NCAA with a 5.44 assist/turnover ratio. The Bloomington, Ill., native has just nine turnovers in 276 minutes of action.
USF (3-8) snapped a three-game losing streak Wednesday with an 88-75 home win over Jacksonville. All five starters scored in double figures to help the Bulls to their highest scoring output of the season.
Freshman guard Jahmal McMurray leads USF with 13.2 points per game, while senior center Jaleel Cousins paces the Bulls with 9.3 rebounds per game.
UAB and USF will be meeting on the hardwood for the 59th time when the two teams tip off Saturday. The Blazers own a 37-21 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to the 1978-79 season. Last season, USF posted a 73-71 overtime victory in Bartow Arena in the first meeting between the schools since 2002. UAB is 11-10 all-time at USF.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
UAB ticket mini plans are now on sale and in high demand. The Holiday 3-Pointer includes games against Hiwassee College (Dec. 22), 2015 NCAA Tournament participant Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 29) and the Blazers' Conference USA home opener against Middle Tennessee (Jan 3). Lower level seats can be purchased for $36 ($60 value), or $24 in the upper level ($45 value). The Conference USA Season Pass is available for $119 in the lower level, (a savings of over $60) and only $79 in the upper level, ($56 off the regular price).
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), on Instagram (@blazerhoops) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABMensBasketball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
