Jan. 30, 2008

Final Stats

Box Score 

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Lawrence Kinnard and Robert Vaden combined for 43 points as UAB held off a fierce UCF comeback to defeat the Knights 88-81 in a Conference USA game Wednesday night.

UAB (14-6, 4-1) took its biggest lead, 63-39, on a pair of free throws by Channing Toney with 15:19 remaining. UCF (11-9, 4-2) hit three consecutive 3-pointers to trim the Blazers' advantage to 63-48. UAB extended the lead back to 20 points midway through the second half.

A 14-2 UCF run cut the Blazers' advantage to 79-72 with 1:40 to play. UAB hit 9 of 10 shots from the free throw line in the final 1:36 to preserve the victory, its sixth in the last seven games.

Kinnard finished with 25 points, which tied his career high, and seven rebounds. Vaden scored 18 points and had five rebounds. Toney finished with 15 points for UAB and Frank Holmes added 11.

Jermaine Taylor led four UCF players in double figures with 19 points. Dave Noel scored 16 points, Mike O'Donnell 13 and Kenrick Zondervan 10 for the Knights.

UAB led by as many as 16 points in the first half and took a 44-31 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

The Blazers will next be in action when they take on the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bartow Arena. UAB will be looking to avenge its only loss of the conference season, as it fell to the Thundering Herd, 62-57, in Huntington, W.Va. on Jan. 19.