The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
20-4, 10-1
FAU
6-18, 4-7
Blazers Overpower FAU in Bartow Classic
2/6/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2016
Box Score (PDF) | Photo Gallery | Postgame Quotes
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Saturday night at Bartow Arena was about the UAB men's basketball team extending its home winning streak to 23 games and retaining sole possession of first place in Conference USA. It was about seven Blazers reaching double digits in scoring. It was about the Blazers finally putting together a 40-minute effort. It was about Jerod Haase's jacket sailing into the Bartow Arena stands.
Most of all, though, the 104-67 demolition of Florida Atlantic in the 7th annual Gene Bartow Classic, in front of an appreciative crowd of 6,211, was about honoring the man who made it all possible.
"As much as anything, I'm real excited about the Bartow Classic, having a fantastic crowd that was loud and engaged," Haase said. "I think honoring Coach Bartow was important to them. I know it's important to me and it really was important to my team as well. I was excited about the performance, as a way to honor Coach Bartow."
Haase's personal tribute came with 6:20 left when he threw his jacket into the stands after a foul call on Thomas Smallwood.
"I can officially say that I have a technical foul now, said Haase. "Again, that was a way for fans, the team and myself to try and honor coach and appreciate what he did."
Haase thought of the idea just before opening tip. Midway through the second half, he asked graduate manager Robert Williams to confirm with UAB color analyst Steve Mitchell, an All-America player under Bartow, if the legendary head coach threw his jacket into the stands. Once he learned that he had, Haase waited until the proper moment.
UAB sophomore William Lee was checking into the game when Haase tossed the jacket.
"It was classic," Lee said. "I was looking and thinking, `What is he doing? I thought about it and said, `Oh yeah, that's why he's doing it.'"
Haase received a standing ovation from the UAB crowd afterward and he responded with a thumbs up. That was one of many things to cheer on a night when UAB put together its most solid effort of the season.
Lee was at the forefront in the first half, putting himself in position to chase the program's third triple-double with seven points, seven rebounds and eight blocked shots in the first 20 minutes. At that point, it looked like he would join Paul Delaney III and Alan Ogg on the school's triple-double list. However, Lee finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots in 22 minutes.
"Our assistant coach D.J. (Black) was telling me two more, two more something," Lee said. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I guess I was two blocks away from a triple-double."
Lee smiled when told that he had eight first-half blocks. He was asked how that happened.
"They didn't stop coming in there," Lee said.
In the final minutes, it was Smallwood, a 7-foot true freshman, grabbing the spotlight. He scored a career-best 13 points, including two dunks and a 3-pointer that put the Blazers over the 100-point mark for the third time this season and second time in C-USA play.
In between, the Blazers (20-4 overall, 10-1 C-USA) dominated in every area over the Owls (6-18, 4-7). Pick an area -- any area -- and UAB clearly got the best of it. The Blazers led in points in the paint (48-26), points off turnovers (17-9), second chance points (25-5), fast break points (22-4), bench points (54-21), assists (24-12) and rebounds (48-21).
UAB's double-digit scorers were Chris Cokley (14 points), Smallwood, Lewis Sullivan (13 points), Robert Brown (13 points), Dirk Williams (12 points), Hakeem Baxter (10 points) and Lee. Nick Norton took just one shot from the field -- a successful 3-pointer -- but he had seven assists and four rebounds and two. Denzell Watts had six points, five assists and one turnover.
"That's about a complete of a game that we've played to this point of the season," Haase said.
The Blazers became the quickest team in school history to reach 20 wins and the eighth team nationally to reach that mark this season. They also remain a game ahead of Middle Tennessee for first place in C-USA.
Haase wants more from this team.
"I think the message tonight was we achieved some things this year," Haase said. "Not one of them was one of the goals we set out at the beginning of the year. Now we've put ourselves in position to achieve some of those goals. But our focus and attention to detail, moving forward now, needs to sharpen and get even better."
UAB begins a three-game road trip Thursday at 7 p.m. when the Blazers travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss.
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.
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).
