FINAL STATS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY
DeVAUGHN AKOON-PURCELL POSTGAME INTERVIEW
NORMAL, Ill. – UAB put together a 26-4 run midway through the second half and shot 57 percent after the break to secure a 74-61 victory over the Illinois State men's basketball team Saturday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
ISU led for the first 26 minutes of the game, but shot 36 percent from the field and connected on five of 32 three-point attempts. The 32 attempts was a season-high for ISU.
The Redbirds jumped out to an 8-4 lead to start the game, which was sparked by MiKyle McIntosh. The sophomore scored four points and added a block prior to the first media timeout. Back-to-back threes out of the timeout from Roland Griffin and Tony Wills extended ISU's lead to 10, but UAB answered with a 7-0 run of its own to trim the lead to three.
Upon re-entering, McIntosh snapped the skid with a layup in traffic and it was the start of a 9-2 run to regain a 10-point lead. The Blazers slowly trimmed the lead down and the Redbirds went to the half leading, 29-28. ISU finished the half shooting 31 percent from the field, including 18 percent from beyond the arc.
The Blazers opened the second half making five of their first seven shots. Bloomington native Nick Norton tied the game at 39 with a three at the 14:01 mark. A William Lee layup one minute later gave UAB its first lead of the game and the Blazers extended their lead to 17 with a 26-4 run.
UAB never looked back, shooting 57 percent in the second half and burying seven of 12 second-half threes. Chris Cokley led the way for the Blazers with 20 points while Dirk Williams added 16 and Lee finished with 10.
DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell endured a 3-for-12 shooting performance in the first half, but bounced back to finish 8-for-20 for the game with a team-high 18 points. Akoon-Purcell was the only Redbird in double figures, and also led the team with eight rebounds.
UAB won the rebounding battle, 39-35, while both teams were tied with 32 points in the paint. The win pushes UAB to 5-3 on the season while ISU falls to 3-6.
The Redbirds will be in action next Sunday, Dec. 13 when they host Murray State at 3 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Before that, head coach Dan Muller and a player guest will partake in the first WJBC Illinois State Basketball Coaches Show of the 2015-16 season this Monday, Dec. 7 at Pub II in Normal, Illinois, beginning at 7 p.m.
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