The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Tuesday, November 6
Bartow Arena
7 p.m.
UAB
vs
Mercer
UAB Kicks Off Season of Basketball Against Mercer
11/5/2018 4:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM – After two thrilling exhibition contests to prepare for the season, the UAB men's basketball team officially opens its season on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it welcomes the Mercer Bears to Bartow Arena.
The Green and Gold are 27-13 all-time in season openers after defeating Jacksonville, 96-67, last season at Bartow. In addition, the Blazers are 33-7 all-time in home openers and have won five of their last six such games, including a 2-0 record under head coach Robert Ehsan.
"We showed some really good things in our two exhibition games, so I am ready to see how that all translates into our first regular season game," Ehsan said. "I know the guys are ready to go. We are hoping to have a big crowd on hand for Tuesday's game as we welcome in a well-coached opponent who has been in the NCAA Tournament recently. It should be a lot of fun."
UAB played its first exhibition contest almost three weeks ago when it hosted the University of Georgia as part of the Hoops Season Tipoff Event. Down two points with less than 20 seconds to play, the Blazers had their chances but could not get anything to go down, falling to the Bulldogs, 56-54.
The team then played its final tune-up game on November 1, welcoming Morehouse College to Bartow Arena for the second-straight season. Overcoming a sluggish first half, the Green and Gold's offense came alive in the second period on the back of a 16-0 run in the opening five minutes to ultimately seal a 75-54 victory to wrap up preseason play.
Newcomer Jude Akabueze led all scorers in the Thursday night exhibition with 13 points in 12 minutes of play, while Lewis Sullivan added a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards. Senior Jalen Perry was phenomenal in both exhibition games with 12 points in each contest.
Sophomore Zack Bryant is coming off two solid performances in the team's two games this year and enters the regular season as a member of the Conference USA Preseason Team. The Hastings, Florida, native is UAB's only returning starter from a season ago and will look to capitalize on the success he conjured up as a rookie, which included breaking the scoring record by a Blazer freshman with 448 points.
Mercer finished the 2017-18 season with a 19-15 overall record and a 11-7 record in SoCon play. The Bears earned a win in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before bowing out to the eventual champion North Texas, 96-67, in the quarterfinals.
Junior Ross Cummings is the Bears' only returning starter, bringing back 8.6 points per game from a season ago. Mercer lost nine players from last year's roster and welcomes in 10 new faces for the upcoming season.
Tuesday's matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools. However, the Blazers are familiar with the Southern Conference, boasting a 19-4 record against SoCon members.
Individual season tickets for the 2018-19 UAB men's basketball campaign are on sale and start as low as $105 in Blaze's Corner. New this season is the Family Four Pack which includes four season tickets for a total cost of $400 along with the Flex Pack for $125. Mini plans are also now available here. For more information, call the UAB Athletics ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).
The Green and Gold are 27-13 all-time in season openers after defeating Jacksonville, 96-67, last season at Bartow. In addition, the Blazers are 33-7 all-time in home openers and have won five of their last six such games, including a 2-0 record under head coach Robert Ehsan.
"We showed some really good things in our two exhibition games, so I am ready to see how that all translates into our first regular season game," Ehsan said. "I know the guys are ready to go. We are hoping to have a big crowd on hand for Tuesday's game as we welcome in a well-coached opponent who has been in the NCAA Tournament recently. It should be a lot of fun."
UAB played its first exhibition contest almost three weeks ago when it hosted the University of Georgia as part of the Hoops Season Tipoff Event. Down two points with less than 20 seconds to play, the Blazers had their chances but could not get anything to go down, falling to the Bulldogs, 56-54.
The team then played its final tune-up game on November 1, welcoming Morehouse College to Bartow Arena for the second-straight season. Overcoming a sluggish first half, the Green and Gold's offense came alive in the second period on the back of a 16-0 run in the opening five minutes to ultimately seal a 75-54 victory to wrap up preseason play.
Newcomer Jude Akabueze led all scorers in the Thursday night exhibition with 13 points in 12 minutes of play, while Lewis Sullivan added a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards. Senior Jalen Perry was phenomenal in both exhibition games with 12 points in each contest.
Sophomore Zack Bryant is coming off two solid performances in the team's two games this year and enters the regular season as a member of the Conference USA Preseason Team. The Hastings, Florida, native is UAB's only returning starter from a season ago and will look to capitalize on the success he conjured up as a rookie, which included breaking the scoring record by a Blazer freshman with 448 points.
Mercer finished the 2017-18 season with a 19-15 overall record and a 11-7 record in SoCon play. The Bears earned a win in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) before bowing out to the eventual champion North Texas, 96-67, in the quarterfinals.
Junior Ross Cummings is the Bears' only returning starter, bringing back 8.6 points per game from a season ago. Mercer lost nine players from last year's roster and welcomes in 10 new faces for the upcoming season.
Tuesday's matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools. However, the Blazers are familiar with the Southern Conference, boasting a 19-4 record against SoCon members.
Individual season tickets for the 2018-19 UAB men's basketball campaign are on sale and start as low as $105 in Blaze's Corner. New this season is the Family Four Pack which includes four season tickets for a total cost of $400 along with the Flex Pack for $125. Mini plans are also now available here. For more information, call the UAB Athletics ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).
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