UAB hosting Troy at Bartow Arena

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB men’s basketball team will return to action when it takes on instate foe Troy on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena. The contest marks the third time the two teams have met on the hardwood, with all three meetings occurring over the past two seasons.

UAB is in the midst of a season-long six-game homestand, which began last Saturday with a 72-56 win over Georgia. The victory stretched the Blazers’ win streak to three games, as they improved to 4-1 overall. Senior forward Howard Crawford led three scorers in double figures with a career-high 21 points on the night - 17 of which came during the second half. Junior guard Jamarr Sanders also set his career high with 16 points, while junior Elijah Millsap added 14 points and a team-high six rebounds in the win.

Millsap leads UAB in scoring (16.4 ppg), rebounding (7.8 rpg) and free throws made (25) and attempted (36) entering Tuesday’s game. The Louisiana-Lafayette transfer has led the Blazers in either scoring and/or rebounding in a contest in four of their five games this season.

Crawford is the only other Blazer to average double figures, collecting 14.8 points per contest, and leads the team from beyond the arc, connecting on 5-of-7 three-pointers on the year (.714). Junior guard Aaron Johnson adds 8.8 points and leads the team in assists (3.4) and steals (2.0) per game.

As a team, the Blazers are shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc on the year. UAB also boasts a +2.8 advantage on the boards (34.4-31.6).

UAB head coach Mike Davis is now in his fourth season at the helm of the Blazers’ basketball program and his 10th season as a head coach. He boasts a record of 64-40 (.615) at UAB and a 179-119 (.601) record overall.

Troy comes into Tuesday night’s contest sporting a 2-1 overall record, following an 80-58 loss at Florida on Friday night. Richard Delk was the only Trojan to reach double-figure scoring, collecting 15 points in the losing effort.

Troy boasts five players who average double figures on the year, led by guard Brandon Hazzard’s 17.7 points a game. Guard Michael Vogler is second on the team with 13.3 ppg and leads his squad in assists per game (6.0), collecting 18 assists and just five turnovers on the campaign.

Forward Yamene Coleman averages 11.3 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per contest. Delk (10.7 ppg) and Vernon Taylor (10.0 ppg) also average double-figure scoring.

As a team, the Trojans are shooting 48.6 percent from the floor - a main reason why Troy is outscoring the competition by 16.7 points a game (89.3-72.7).

Head coach Don Maestri is in his 29th season at Troy. He owns an overall record of 455-327 (.582).
(courtesy: UAB Sports Information)