December 22 - Birmingham, AL (Sports Network) - Jamarr Sanders led the way with 18 points while Aaron Johnson posted 12 points and 10 rebounds, as the UAB Blazers defeated 20th-ranked Butler, 67-57, at Bartow Arena.
UAB Claims Another Ranked Victim: No. 20 Butler
Elijah Millsap and Kenneth Cooper both added 11 points for the Blazers (11-1), who have won 10 straight games since a loss to Kent State on November 14. Howard Crawford notched eight points and eight rebounds in the win.
Gordon Hayward scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds for Butler (8-4), which saw its brief two-game win streak halted. Shelvin Mack had 11 points and Willie Veasley delivered 10 points in the losing effort.
The contest was knotted at 15-15 with over five minutes to go in the opening half, but the Blazers embarked on a brief 6-0 run, which included a dunk and a layup by Sanders, for a 21-15 advantage.
After a three-pointer by Johnson, UAB led 25-17 with 2:10 to go and the hosts eventually entered the break with a 32-22 lead after the scoring in the first half was capped by Cooper’s dunk in the final seconds.
As the second half unfolded, Butler tried to keep it close. Matt Howard's layup under four minutes into the stanza drew the Bulldogs within five, 38-33.
However, the Blazers would not be denied. Another thunderous dunk by Cooper made it 46-35 with 13-plus minutes remaining, and the Blazers leaned on the visitors the rest of the way. Butler was not able to cut its deficit to single digits and failed to pose a serious threat as UAB -- which led by as much as 16 near the midway point of the second half -- sealed the win despite a spotty 15-for-25 effort from the foul line.
The Blazers have now won two of the three all-time meetings between these teams...UAB is 7-0 at home this season...Butler shot 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the field...UAB ended 6-for-15 from three point range and won the battle on the glass, 41-33.
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