UAB Defeats North Alabama 63-56

Tuesday, December 17

Bartow Arena

7:00 PM

UAB

6-4

North Alabama

5-6

North Alabama

UAB

UAB Defeats North Alabama 63-56

12/17/2019 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Updated Stats

BIRMINGHAM – Tyreek Scott-Grayson scored a career-high 20 points, Makhtar Gueye added a season-high 13 and Tavin Lovan 12 in UAB's 63-56 victory over North Alabama on Tuesday night at Bartow Arena.

The Blazers (6-4) got nine rebounds from Will Butler, five on the offensive end.

The Lions (5-6) were led by Christian Agnew (14 points) and Mervin James (13 points). Emanuel Littles grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for UNA.

The first half was mostly a two-possession contest until eight straight points from Gueye gave UAB their first double-figure lead of the game at 11 points when his 3-pointer made the score 25-14 at 2:36. The Lions responded with five straight points from James Anderson plus a pair of free throws from Jamari Blackmon to send the game into halftime with the Blazers ahead 27-21.

With UAB leading 44-35 at 12:06 of the 2^nd half, UNA went on an 11-0 run to take a 46-44 advantage. The lead would exchange hands four times with two ties over the next six minutes. After an Agnew jumper put North Alabama ahead by one point, Scott-Grayson answered his basket, then made a steal on the ensuing possession and drove the lane for a layup, giving the Blazers a 56-53 lead with 2:06 left in the game.

After Littles made the front end of the 1-and-1, Gueye came up big with a 3-pointer from the right side giving UAB a 59-54 lead with 52 seconds remaining. The UAB defense would not allow a field goal and forced a turnover while making four straight free throws down the stretch.

"North Alabama is a really good team," said head coach Robert Ehsan. "They came out and had a really good game plan defensively. This team could win their league and I have a lot of respect for Coach Pujol."

"Tyreek got to the rim and made some clutch shots. On the defensive end, he came up huge. It was a really good game for him."

Scott-Grayson tied his season-high with six rebounds and tied his career-high with three blocks. He grabbed a rebound with 14 seconds left off a missed 3-pointer and was immediately fouled. He made both shots to ice the game.

"Tonight it was great for Mak, it finally turned for him offensively which was great to see. Will did a great job getting it inside tonight."

UAB outscored UNA 30-14 in the paint.

Additionally, the Blazers' defense held Blackmon, North Alabama's leading scorer who averaged 14.6 point per game to just six points – all on free throws.

This weekend UAB heads to St. Petersburg, Fla. for a pair of games. Dec. 21 they will face Alabama State (1-9) followed by Duquesne (9-0) on Dec. 22. The Dukes are one of four undefeated teams in the country and have a NET of 20.

The Blazers return home for a matchup against Thomas on Dec. 28.

Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1. Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 20 tickets. To inquire about group tickets for the 2019-20 season, please contact Chris Curtis at (205) 934-3172 or ccurtis2@uab.edu.
Along with single game and group tickets which are already on sale, fans now have the option to purchase a four-game mini plan which offers the flexibility of attending any four Conference USA games at Bartow Arena for only $40 in the upper level. The C-USA Pick 4 Mini Plan can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1.