Nov. 13, 2009
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KENT, Ohio - Junior guard Elijah Millsap led UAB with 22 points and 11 rebounds as the UAB men's basketball team opened the 2009-10 season with a 68-56 victory over Green Bay Friday in the opening round of the Hispanic College Fund Classic.
Senior forward Howard Crawford added 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, while senior forward Kenneth Cooper added seven points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the winning effort.
"I thought we came out and played a little timid to start the game," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "We took some ill-advised shots and just were a little too excited. I felt we settled down a little more in the second half. We outrebounded them 40-29 in the contest and that is something I was very pleased with.
"We have a lot of stuff to clean up," Davis continued. "We have a tough game (Saturday night). We are playing as a road team in front of a home crowd and it is going to be a great test for our team."
The Blazers and Phoenix traded buckets throughout most of the first half, as the opening 20 minutes featured eight ties and 12 lead changes. Green Bay held a slim 30-28 lead as the team's went into the locker rooms.
However, the UAB defense stepped up in the second half. With the Blazers clinging to a 45-43 lead at the 11:09 mark, Crawford connected on two buckets to jump start a 10-0 run over the next 6:45. As a result, UAB stretched the lead to 55-43 with just under five minutes remaining
Green Bay would connect on back-to-back threes to cut the UAB lead to 55-49 with 3:55 remaining. However, Millsap connected on a three-pointer to start a 9-0 run by the Blazers which gave UAB its biggest lead of the contest at 15, 64-49. The run was highlighted by a pair of Cameron Moore layups and a thunderous dunk by Crawford to seal the victory.
Moore finished the contest with eight points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in his first career start. Junior point guard Aaron Johnson ended with seven points.
Green Bay was led by Rahmon Fletcher, who had 14 points in 15 minutes of action. Bryquis Perine closed with 13 points and a team-best 13 boards.
The Blazers outscored the Phoenix in the paint, 30-20, and had an 8-2 advantage on fast break points. With the win, the Blazers captured their third straight season-opening victory.
UAB will play the second round of the Hispanic College Fund Classic against tournament host Kent State on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). The contest will be broadcast on 100.5 FM with J.D. Byars and Steve Mitchell on the call.
