BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — UAB made 11 of its first 14 shots Saturday, beating South Alabama 92-78 at Bartow Arena despite a 24-point, 11-rebound performance from Jaguars forward Augustine Rubit.
The Blazers shot 57.1 percent from the floor and 52.9 percent from 3-point range to even their record at 5-5. South Alabama fell to 4-5.
Slow Start
UAB opened the game on a 16-4 run as South Alabama missed its first 14 shots from the field. The Blazers led 25-13 with 11:15 left in the first half and took a 46-27 lead into halftime.
South Alabama shot 30.3 percent in the first half, while UAB shot 51.3 percent. The Blazers stretched their lead to as many as 28 points in the second half and shot 66.7 percent after the break.
The Jaguars went 0 for 12 from 3-point range in the game.
Late Run
South Alabama shot 54.8 percent in the second half and closed with a 14-3 run, capped by a Mychal Ammons 3-pointer that cut the margin to 90-78 with 1:25 remaining. UAB grabbed an offensive rebound on its next possession and made two free throws for the final points.
Rubit recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 16 of his 24 points after halftime. Xavier Roberson added 18 points, 13 of them in the second half, and Freddie Goldstein scored 13 off the bench.
UAB placed five players in double figures, led by Fahro Alihodzic with 17 points.
Arrow Critical of Effort
South Alabama head coach Ronnie Arrow was blunt after the game.
“We didn’t play defense, there wasn’t much effort, we had poor shot selection and didn’t share the ball until late in the game,” Arrow said. “We’re not going to win games until our guys start taking a personal interest in their defense. It starts with them.”
“They were working hard and we were standing around,” he said. “We’re going to look at this long and hard and we’re going to play the guys that share the ball and want to work.”
Struggles in Birmingham
The loss was South Alabama’s ninth straight at Bartow Arena. The Jaguars are 2-19 all-time in Birmingham and have not won at UAB since 1988.
Up Next
South Alabama opens a three-game homestand Dec. 16 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tipoff at the Mitchell Center in Mobile is set for 4:05 p.m.
