The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
0-1,0-0American
McNeese State
1-0,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNeese | 44 | 55 | 99 |
| UAB | 35 | 43 | 78 |
11/2/2026 7:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ROCK HILL, S.C. – UAB Men's Basketball dropped its opening game of the 2026-27 campaign on Monday night to the McNeese Cowboys, 99-78. The Cowboys were led by Larry Johnson's 31 points on the night propelling the Cowboys to victory.
UAB (0-1) took an 11-4 lead into the first media timeout thanks to two quick 3-pointers by Justyn Fernandez before McNeese went on a 12-0 run to take an 18-15 lead with 9:12 to go in the first half. The Blazers were held scoreless for more than five minutes during the stretch.
The Cowboys (1-0) would extend their run to 26-3 over a eight minute, 56 second stretch before UAB made its next field goal.
McNeese saw its lead inflate to 17 points with three minutes to go in the half before UAB trimmed the lead to 44-35 going into halftime. The Green and Gold shot 42% from the field and 45% from three in the first half, but McNeese forced 11 UAB turnovers. Larry Johnson led the way for the Cowboys with 20 points in the first period while the Blazers were led by Justyn Fernandez and his nine points.
Both teams traded buckets coming out of halftime as McNeese held a 13 point lead going into the under-12 timeout in the second half. The Cowboys opened the second half making nine of their first 12 shots.
McNeese would continue its hot shooting as it grew its lead back to a game-high 18 points going into the under-8 timeout. The Cowboys' largest lead would be 28 points at the 3:22 mark of the second half.
UAB surrendered 12 made 3-pointers and allowed McNeese to shoot 55.1% from the floor in the game as the Cowboys would go on to win by a score of 99-78.
NOTES TO KNOW
- McNeese now leads the series 2-0 all-time.
- UAB is now 4-3 on Opening Night under Andy Kennedy.
- The Cowboys forced 14 UAB turnovers, the most for the Blazers since March 19, 2025 (at Santa Clara).
- The Green and Gold were 26 of 30 from the free throw line. The 26 makes were the most since January 4, 2026 (at South Florida).
- UAB had five players in double figures in the game.
- UAB plays its home opener on Friday night at Bartow Arena against Nicholls. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. David Crane and Steve Mitchell will air the game on the radio on 100.5 FM.
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
To keep up with UAB Men's Basketball, follow @UAB_MBB on Instagram and X, and 'like' UAB Athletics on Facebook.
