01-09-2008, 08:31 AM
Today, conference season starts. The Today in Blazer History reports will recap games against many of the same opponents with an occasional out of conference game thrown in. Around the end of February, we will start looking at conference tournament recaps and hopefully, Today in Blazer History will be around long enough in March to look at some NCAA tournaments games. So, enjoy the look backs at games from the Sun Belt, the Great Midwest and Conference USA.
The Date
UAB is 3-2 on January 9. Only two games have been played on the road on this date and the Blazers lost in 1988 at Western Kentucky and won at Cincinnati in 1994. We have won two straight on this date with the last win being in 1999 against Houston.
UAB vs. Marquette – January 9, 1993
On this date in 1993, UAB opened conference play at home against Marquette. The Blazers were 10-5, but it had been an odd season. After a season opening loss to Vanderbilt, UAB had won ten straight games, including eight straight home games. They had then gone on the road, where they had lost four straight. Only once before, in 1980, had the Blazers lost four in a row. Everyone was excited to be back in the friendly Bartow Arena to start conference season in the Great Midwest. Robert Shannon was so pumped that he told the newspapers that he believed that Marquette was in trouble.
UAB fans were excited as well because the Marquette game was the debut of UAB’s new mascot. Beauregard T. Rooster had retired the previous season and the Blazers were without a mascot during the first eight home games. Debuting was “Blazer Warrior, nicknamed Blaze” He was described in the newspaper as “a highly animated character with bronze skin and metallic hair and he carries a sword and shield” Blazer Warrior was not a hit with the fans and after about a season, he was given his walking papers.
Speaking of Warriors, Marquette was still known by that nickname and was led by Jim McIlvaine, a 7’1” player, leading the league in blocks with 4.0 per game.
The Blazers scored first, but Marquette scored six straight to take a 6-2 lead and built the lead from there in the first half. With 6:03 left in the half, Marquette led 34-19. The Warriors led by 12 at the half, 43-31.
UAB managed to cut the lead to eight points twice in the second half, but each time, Marquette made a run to put the game out of reach. With 14:09 left, UAB cut the lead to 43-31, but Marquette went on a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to 20 with 8:26 left. Marquette won the game 80-66.
Coach Bartow said that Marquette got every loose ball and turned every offensive rebound into a basket. Marquette freshman, Rony Eford scored 23 points on 10-12 shooting from the field. McIlvaine had 6 blocks. Stanley Jackson had a strong game in the losing effort, scoring 32 points on 14 of 25 from the field. He also had five steals and six rebounds. This loss marked the longest losing streak UAB has ever had at five. The Blazers would end that streak the next game with their very first win over Memphis, led by Anfernee Hardaway.
UAB vs. Houston – January 9, 1999
The last game played on this date was in 1999 when the Blazers broke a record for the most points scored in a conference game. The opponent was Houston, who had just hired 15 year NBA veteran, Clyde Drexler. Drexler had been a part of the famous 1983 Phi Slamma Jamma Houston team that played in the national championship game and lost to Jimmy Valvano’s North Carolina State. He came to Houston with no coaching experience, but his NBA celebrity had help recruit freshman sensation, Gee Gervin, who was George Gervin’s son. Gervin, who was averaging 21 points a game, was the Cougar’s only spark. Drexler stated that he was having fun and coaching was a “very pleasant experience.” His team was 6-7 and 1-2 in conference.
The Blazers entered the game without a point guard because Eric Holmes had dislocated his little finger and was unable to shoot. Leandrew Bass had suffered a severe high ankle sprain in the previous game and was very doubtful for this game. Torrey Ward was playing point guard in this game. UAB was severely limping and some feared that this might be UAB’s first loss to Houston.
Although Holmes couldn’t score, it seemed everyone else could. The Blazers shot 64.7% in the first half and led by 20 points at halftime. In the first half, Antonio Jackson scored four baskets in the paint and was fouled each time. He converted all four three point plays. Gee Gervin kept the Cougars in the game early but the Blazers kept pulling away.
The Blazers won the game 116-78. At the end, the starters were on the bench rooting for the second string to break the overall scoring record of 118. A three point shot by Bill Armstrong that would have broken the record rimmed out as the game ended. Fred Williams and Antonio Jackson each finished with 21 points. Damon Cobb had 20 points and Willie Mitchell had 17. UAB took 79 shots and made 45 of them. Gee Gervin had 32 points (a career high) on 10 of 15 shooting and 7 of 10 from three point range.
The Opponent
UAB holds a slim 14-12 lead in the series with Tulane. UAB has won three of the last four games against the Green Wave, although Tulane won the last game of the regular season last year at Bartow Arena. From 2002 to 2005, Tulane had won five out of six over the Blazers. Fogleman Arena, which is the oldest arena in Conference USA has always been a tough place for the Blazers to play. The Blazers are 5-7 against Tulane in New Orleans.
UAB @ Tulane – February 16, 1994
Fogelman Arena was opened in 1933 and seats 3600 for basketball. It is the smallest basketball arena in the NCAA.
UAB’s first game at Fogelman was February 16, 1994. The Blazers came into the game ranked 18-4 and ranked #21 in the nation. However, they were coming off a loss to Memphis and hoping to avert their first back to back losses in over a year, dating back to January of 1993. Tulane’s previous game was a four point loss at #5 Louisville, and they were 10-1 that season in Fogelman Arena. Tulane entered the game 12-9, but they were coming off two NCAA tournament years with records of 22-9.
The first half was close, even though UAB shot only 29%. Mardi Gras had finished the night before the game, but it seemed UAB had the hangover. Reggie Allen gave UAB a 9-7 lead with 13:22 in the first half, but Tulane reeled off 10 straight points to take 17-9 lead. The Green Wave led 27-22 at the half.
UAB led with 8:24 left in the game at 46-45, but again Tulane went on a big 8-0 run and took a 53-46 lead. The Blazers fought back and took a lead with 2:02 left on a Carter Long field goal to make the score 58-56. It seemed that every time the Blazers managed to get a lead, the Green Wave would answer with a run, and they did so again with in the last two minutes. After UAB took the lead, Tulane outscored the Blazers 9-2, including five straight free throws in the last two minutes. Tulane won the game 66-60.
Coach Gene Bartow was extremely frustrated with his team. “Every time Tulane needed a basket, they took it inside,” he complained. “They must have had 30 lay ups.” His estimate was close. Of Tulane’s 24 baskets, 19 of them were within three feet of the basket. Bartow was also upset that the Green Wave still got lay ups, even after he put the Blazers in a zone defense.
Tulane had managed to shut down Robert Shannon and Carter Long and dared the others to score. Shannon was 6 of 17 from the field and 2 of 7 from three point range. Long was 3 of 7 from the field, with no three pointers. UAB was led by Clarence Thrash with 15 points and Shannon had 14 points.
UAB @ Tulane – February 13, 1997
UAB’s first win at Fogelman Arena occurred on February 13, 1997, and it happened against a very good Tulane team. At 7-1, Tulane had the best conference record in CUSA and was ranked #21 in the country with a 16-7 record. The Green Wave was coming off back to back losses to Arizona and Cincinnati. Tulane was led by Jerald Honeycutt, who was averaging 19.8 points a game.
Murry Bartow was bringing his 13-10 Blazers into Fogelman Arena where UAB had never won. Bartow had made a crucial lineup change by moving Will Bailey to point guard in order to move Cedric Dixon to shooting guard.
As it always seems to be the case when UAB plays at Tulane, it was the day after Mardi Gras. The Blazers hit three three-pointers early to take a 17-11 lead. Damon Cobb had two three-pointers in the first ten minutes of the game. Tulane controlled the boards in the first half, allowing only three UAB offensive rebounds and began hitting treys of their own to pull closer. Norman Williams hit a basket to give UAB a 22-21 lead with 6:39 left in the first half, but Tulane went on an 8-0 spurt to push the lead to seven with 2:07 left in the half. The Wave led by five points at half time.
In the second half, Carlos Williams, who only had 8 points in the first half, took over. He scored 8 of UAB’s first 10 points. Tulane regrouped and pushed their lead to nine points with 9:30 to go. Over the next six minutes, Carlos scored 11 of UAB’s 14 points, making sure that UAB stayed in the game. Jerald Honeycutt for Tulane hit a three pointer with 2:14 left to give the Green Wave a four point lead, but then the Wave ebbed. In the final minute and a half, Tulane was 2 of 4 from the free throw line and had no field goals. As the clock ticked below one minute, UAB had cut Tulane’s lead to 61-59. UAB had the ball and was looking to go ahead. Damon Cobb bounced off of a Carlos Williams screen and hit a three pointer with five seconds left, giving UAB the lead at 62-61. Tulane turned the ball over and then fouled Will Bailey. Bailey added two free throws to give UAB a three point win, 64-61, their first win at Fogelman Arena. Tulane’s stars, Rayshard Allen had 25 points and Jerald Honeycutt was held to 14 points. Carlos Williams finished with 30 points, 22 in the second half. Cedric Dixon had 14 points.
The Date
UAB is 3-2 on January 9. Only two games have been played on the road on this date and the Blazers lost in 1988 at Western Kentucky and won at Cincinnati in 1994. We have won two straight on this date with the last win being in 1999 against Houston.
UAB vs. Marquette – January 9, 1993
On this date in 1993, UAB opened conference play at home against Marquette. The Blazers were 10-5, but it had been an odd season. After a season opening loss to Vanderbilt, UAB had won ten straight games, including eight straight home games. They had then gone on the road, where they had lost four straight. Only once before, in 1980, had the Blazers lost four in a row. Everyone was excited to be back in the friendly Bartow Arena to start conference season in the Great Midwest. Robert Shannon was so pumped that he told the newspapers that he believed that Marquette was in trouble.
UAB fans were excited as well because the Marquette game was the debut of UAB’s new mascot. Beauregard T. Rooster had retired the previous season and the Blazers were without a mascot during the first eight home games. Debuting was “Blazer Warrior, nicknamed Blaze” He was described in the newspaper as “a highly animated character with bronze skin and metallic hair and he carries a sword and shield” Blazer Warrior was not a hit with the fans and after about a season, he was given his walking papers.
Speaking of Warriors, Marquette was still known by that nickname and was led by Jim McIlvaine, a 7’1” player, leading the league in blocks with 4.0 per game.
The Blazers scored first, but Marquette scored six straight to take a 6-2 lead and built the lead from there in the first half. With 6:03 left in the half, Marquette led 34-19. The Warriors led by 12 at the half, 43-31.
UAB managed to cut the lead to eight points twice in the second half, but each time, Marquette made a run to put the game out of reach. With 14:09 left, UAB cut the lead to 43-31, but Marquette went on a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to 20 with 8:26 left. Marquette won the game 80-66.
Coach Bartow said that Marquette got every loose ball and turned every offensive rebound into a basket. Marquette freshman, Rony Eford scored 23 points on 10-12 shooting from the field. McIlvaine had 6 blocks. Stanley Jackson had a strong game in the losing effort, scoring 32 points on 14 of 25 from the field. He also had five steals and six rebounds. This loss marked the longest losing streak UAB has ever had at five. The Blazers would end that streak the next game with their very first win over Memphis, led by Anfernee Hardaway.
UAB vs. Houston – January 9, 1999
The last game played on this date was in 1999 when the Blazers broke a record for the most points scored in a conference game. The opponent was Houston, who had just hired 15 year NBA veteran, Clyde Drexler. Drexler had been a part of the famous 1983 Phi Slamma Jamma Houston team that played in the national championship game and lost to Jimmy Valvano’s North Carolina State. He came to Houston with no coaching experience, but his NBA celebrity had help recruit freshman sensation, Gee Gervin, who was George Gervin’s son. Gervin, who was averaging 21 points a game, was the Cougar’s only spark. Drexler stated that he was having fun and coaching was a “very pleasant experience.” His team was 6-7 and 1-2 in conference.
The Blazers entered the game without a point guard because Eric Holmes had dislocated his little finger and was unable to shoot. Leandrew Bass had suffered a severe high ankle sprain in the previous game and was very doubtful for this game. Torrey Ward was playing point guard in this game. UAB was severely limping and some feared that this might be UAB’s first loss to Houston.
Although Holmes couldn’t score, it seemed everyone else could. The Blazers shot 64.7% in the first half and led by 20 points at halftime. In the first half, Antonio Jackson scored four baskets in the paint and was fouled each time. He converted all four three point plays. Gee Gervin kept the Cougars in the game early but the Blazers kept pulling away.
The Blazers won the game 116-78. At the end, the starters were on the bench rooting for the second string to break the overall scoring record of 118. A three point shot by Bill Armstrong that would have broken the record rimmed out as the game ended. Fred Williams and Antonio Jackson each finished with 21 points. Damon Cobb had 20 points and Willie Mitchell had 17. UAB took 79 shots and made 45 of them. Gee Gervin had 32 points (a career high) on 10 of 15 shooting and 7 of 10 from three point range.
The Opponent
UAB holds a slim 14-12 lead in the series with Tulane. UAB has won three of the last four games against the Green Wave, although Tulane won the last game of the regular season last year at Bartow Arena. From 2002 to 2005, Tulane had won five out of six over the Blazers. Fogleman Arena, which is the oldest arena in Conference USA has always been a tough place for the Blazers to play. The Blazers are 5-7 against Tulane in New Orleans.
UAB @ Tulane – February 16, 1994
Fogelman Arena was opened in 1933 and seats 3600 for basketball. It is the smallest basketball arena in the NCAA.
UAB’s first game at Fogelman was February 16, 1994. The Blazers came into the game ranked 18-4 and ranked #21 in the nation. However, they were coming off a loss to Memphis and hoping to avert their first back to back losses in over a year, dating back to January of 1993. Tulane’s previous game was a four point loss at #5 Louisville, and they were 10-1 that season in Fogelman Arena. Tulane entered the game 12-9, but they were coming off two NCAA tournament years with records of 22-9.
The first half was close, even though UAB shot only 29%. Mardi Gras had finished the night before the game, but it seemed UAB had the hangover. Reggie Allen gave UAB a 9-7 lead with 13:22 in the first half, but Tulane reeled off 10 straight points to take 17-9 lead. The Green Wave led 27-22 at the half.
UAB led with 8:24 left in the game at 46-45, but again Tulane went on a big 8-0 run and took a 53-46 lead. The Blazers fought back and took a lead with 2:02 left on a Carter Long field goal to make the score 58-56. It seemed that every time the Blazers managed to get a lead, the Green Wave would answer with a run, and they did so again with in the last two minutes. After UAB took the lead, Tulane outscored the Blazers 9-2, including five straight free throws in the last two minutes. Tulane won the game 66-60.
Coach Gene Bartow was extremely frustrated with his team. “Every time Tulane needed a basket, they took it inside,” he complained. “They must have had 30 lay ups.” His estimate was close. Of Tulane’s 24 baskets, 19 of them were within three feet of the basket. Bartow was also upset that the Green Wave still got lay ups, even after he put the Blazers in a zone defense.
Tulane had managed to shut down Robert Shannon and Carter Long and dared the others to score. Shannon was 6 of 17 from the field and 2 of 7 from three point range. Long was 3 of 7 from the field, with no three pointers. UAB was led by Clarence Thrash with 15 points and Shannon had 14 points.
UAB @ Tulane – February 13, 1997
UAB’s first win at Fogelman Arena occurred on February 13, 1997, and it happened against a very good Tulane team. At 7-1, Tulane had the best conference record in CUSA and was ranked #21 in the country with a 16-7 record. The Green Wave was coming off back to back losses to Arizona and Cincinnati. Tulane was led by Jerald Honeycutt, who was averaging 19.8 points a game.
Murry Bartow was bringing his 13-10 Blazers into Fogelman Arena where UAB had never won. Bartow had made a crucial lineup change by moving Will Bailey to point guard in order to move Cedric Dixon to shooting guard.
As it always seems to be the case when UAB plays at Tulane, it was the day after Mardi Gras. The Blazers hit three three-pointers early to take a 17-11 lead. Damon Cobb had two three-pointers in the first ten minutes of the game. Tulane controlled the boards in the first half, allowing only three UAB offensive rebounds and began hitting treys of their own to pull closer. Norman Williams hit a basket to give UAB a 22-21 lead with 6:39 left in the first half, but Tulane went on an 8-0 spurt to push the lead to seven with 2:07 left in the half. The Wave led by five points at half time.
In the second half, Carlos Williams, who only had 8 points in the first half, took over. He scored 8 of UAB’s first 10 points. Tulane regrouped and pushed their lead to nine points with 9:30 to go. Over the next six minutes, Carlos scored 11 of UAB’s 14 points, making sure that UAB stayed in the game. Jerald Honeycutt for Tulane hit a three pointer with 2:14 left to give the Green Wave a four point lead, but then the Wave ebbed. In the final minute and a half, Tulane was 2 of 4 from the free throw line and had no field goals. As the clock ticked below one minute, UAB had cut Tulane’s lead to 61-59. UAB had the ball and was looking to go ahead. Damon Cobb bounced off of a Carlos Williams screen and hit a three pointer with five seconds left, giving UAB the lead at 62-61. Tulane turned the ball over and then fouled Will Bailey. Bailey added two free throws to give UAB a three point win, 64-61, their first win at Fogelman Arena. Tulane’s stars, Rayshard Allen had 25 points and Jerald Honeycutt was held to 14 points. Carlos Williams finished with 30 points, 22 in the second half. Cedric Dixon had 14 points.
