BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB Blazers shrugged off a furious rally, picked up another double-digit win over a ranked team and remained awfully hard to beat at Bartow Arena.
Jamarr Sanders scored 18 points and the streaking Blazers held off cold-shooting Butler to upset the 20th-ranked Bulldogs 67-57 Tuesday night. It was their 10th straight victory and second win over a ranked opponent in six days.
“We beat a basketball team that just beat Ohio State and Xavier,” UAB coach Mike Davis said after improving to 23-0 against non-conference opponents at home. “We played a big-time basketball team. They may not lose another game this year. We look forward to playing teams like this in our home gym.
“Our confidence has been sky-high since we beat Middle Tennessee (by one point on Dec. 2).”
No. 1 KANSAS 84, CALIFORNIA 69: Sherron Collins keyed a late surge to finish with 17 points as the Jayhawks overcame a rare quiet game from their bench in Lawrence, Kan.
No. 2 TEXAS 79, No. 9 MICHIGAN STATE 68: In Austin, Texas, Damion James had 23 points and 13 rebounds, leading the Longhorns past the Spartans.
No. 5 SYRACUSE 92, OAKLAND (MICH.) 60: Freshman guard Brandon Triche had a season-high 27 points and Wes Johnson added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the host Orange.
No. 10 NORTH CAROLINA 98, MARSHALL 61: Ed Davis had 19 points and 10 rebounds while fellow big man Tyler Zeller matched a career high with 18 points as the Tar Heels rolled in Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 11 CONNECTICUT 71, MAINE 54: Jerome Dyson scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half as the Huskies pulled away in Hartford, Conn.
No. 17 OHIO STATE 72, CLEVELAND STATE 59: David Lighty scored a career-high 30 points against his hometown team, leading the Buckeyes past the Vikings in Columbus, Ohio.
SOUTH ALABAMA 67, No. 18 FLORIDA 66: Tim Williams scored 21 points and DeAndre Hersey had a putback with 1.8 seconds remaining as the Jaguars stunned the Gators in Gainesville, Fla.
No. 23 TEXAS TECH 100, STANFORD 87: Mike Singletary scored 24 of his season-high 28 points in the second half to lift the Red Raiders past the Cardinal in Lubbock, Texas.
No. 24 CLEMSON 79, WESTERN CAROLINA 57: Trevor Booker scored 31 points and his brother Devin added 10 to lead the host Tigers over the Catamounts.
TAYLOR 79, CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN 59: Freshman Nate Kasper scored 34 points in Taylor coach Paul Patterson’s 1,000th game with the Trojans. Patterson’s record is 676-324 in 31 seasons.
SAINT FRANCIS 74, SIENA HEIGHTS 71: Qadr Owens and DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis scored 14 points apiece, and LaRon Bryant added 12 for the Cougars (11-3) in the semifinals at the St. Xavier Midwest Tournament. The Cougars trailed by nine at the half but took the lead for good at 67-65 with 3:30 to play. Saint Francis will play Aquinas in the finals at 7 p.m.
Women
No. 4 TENNESSEE 89, SAN FRANCISCO 34: Angie Bjorklund scored 19 points in 17 minutes as the Vols coasted past the host Dons.
No. 6 OHIO STATE 99, WESTERN ILLINOIS 38: Samantha Prahalis scored 22 points and Jantel Lavender added 20 as the Buckeyes won over the Leathernecks in Columbus, Ohio.
No. 9 GEORGIA 66, DETROIT 42: Freshman Jasmine Hassell scored a career-high 14 points in the Bulldogs’ win in Athens, Ga.
No. 11 LSU 72, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 27: Allison Hightower scored 16 points and added five steals to help the Tigers beat the Lions in Baton Rouge, La.
No. 20 PITT 76, WESTERN KENTUCKY 60: Jania Sims scored 19 points and Brittaney Thomas added 18 to lead the Panthers over the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Ky.
No. 21 KANSAS 89, HOUSTON 69: Danielle McCray scored a game-high 37 points and led the Jayhawks over the host Cougars.
No. 24 GEORGIA TECH 62, GEORGIA STATE 50: Brigitte Ardossi had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets over their crosstown rival in Atlanta.
INDIANA 73, TOLEDO 63: Hope Elam scored 24 points and teammate Sasha Chaplin totaled 22 as the Hoosiers won at home. Between them, Elam and Chaplin made 20 of 28 shots, and Chaplin had a game-best 12 rebounds. Jori Davis added 18 points for the Hoosiers (8-4). Toledo (8-4) was paced by Naama Shafir’s 18 points, on 7 of 8 from the field.
EVANSVILLE 73, BALL STATE 67: Emily Maggert had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Ball State (5-6), but it was in vain. It was her seventh double-double of the season. Teammate Patrice King chipped in 13 points. Host Evansville improved to 2-9.
