UAB Blazers Win Their First AAC Championship

Last night during the AAC Tournament Championship Game, the UAB Blazers defeated the Temple Owls 85-69 to earn their first AAC Championship. During their history in the March Madness Tournament, the Blazers have appeared in the Elite Eight once, and the Sweet Sixteen three times. Could we see this UAB squad surprise us all in 2024? UAB finishes this season off at 23-11 and first time AAC champions. Let’s look into how the Blazers got the win.

UAB did their damage in the first half. They outscored Temple 43-27 in the half. With both teams scoring 42 points each in the final 20 minutes, this game was decided by the Blazers’ play in the first half. UAB shot 49 percent from the field compared to the Owls 41, and Temple went a measly five for 21 from three-point range which equals out to just 24 percent. The Blazers shot 42 percent from deep, grabbed four more rebounds than the Owls, and committed six less turnovers. UAB had 13 steals in the big win. 

Alejandro Vasquez led the way for UAB with 29 points, two rebounds, and an assist. Christian Coleman and Eric Gaines scored 15 points each during the Blazers championship game win. For the Owls, Hysier Miller led all scorers with 32 points along with five rebounds, and six assists. The second highest scorer for Temple was Shane Dezonie who scored just 11 points in the Owls loss.