Jan. 7, 2002

Game 15 January 8, 2002, 7:30 p.m. CST East Carolina (6-7) vs. UAB (7-7) Bartow Arena (8,500) / Birmingham, Ala.

-Tickets are $12 reserved and $8 general admission -Tickets are available at the Bartow Arena ticket office at 975-UAB1 or through SouthTix at 933-1280. Tickets are also available on the web at www.uabsports.com.

UAB BLAZERS UAB is 7-7 after falling to Louisville 88-77 this past Saturday. The Blazers broke a six-game Birmingham win streak with the loss. The Blazers had won five in a row in Bartow Arena and one game in the BJCC.

This is the final of four straight home games. The Blazers are 2-1 in the previous three and are 6-2 overall in Birmingham.

P.J. Arnold leads the team in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. He has averaged 20 points over the last six games in Birmingham. Mo Finley scored a season high 23 points against Louisville and is, averaging 12.4 points per game. Center Will Campbell recorded his third double-double of the season against Louisville. He leads the team in rebounding with 8.2 points per game and is averaging 10.8 points.

The Blazers lead C-USA in 3-point percentage, hitting 38.5 percent, and 3-pointers per game, 8.6.

Head Coach Murry Bartow is in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach with a record of 97-73 (.571). He has led the Blazers to a 42-36 C-USA record the past five years, and to three post-season appearances.

EAST CAROLINA The Pirates 6-7 overall and 0-1 in C-USA, losing to Cincinnati 72-62 in their opener this past Saturday. ECU is in its first year in C-USA after moving over from the Colonial Athletic Association.

ECU had won four in a row prior to the loss. The Pirates are 0-4 on the opposition's home court this season.

Forward Erroyl Bing is the leading scorer and rebounder with 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Guard Kenyatta Brown averages 11.6 points per game. Forward Gabriel Mikulas, last year's leading scorer, returns to action tonight after sitting out due to NCAA rules for foreign players. Mikulas averaged 15 points per game and shot 59.5 percent from the field last season.

ECU head coach Bill Herrion (Merrimack College 1981) is in his third year at East Carolina with a 30-39 record. He is 197-110 overall. Herrion improved ECU from 10-18 his first season to 14-14 last year. He was head coach at Drexel for eight years and took the team to three NCAA and one NIT appearance.

ECU hosts Charlotte, Saturday in its next game.

LAST TIME OUT Louisville 88, UAB 77 Louisville's Reece Gaines scored 25 points and Louisville made 9-of-20 three-pointers for the 11-point win. It was the Conference USA opener for both teams. The loss broke UAB's three game win streak over Louisville, its six-game win streak in Birmingham and a five-game Bartow Arena win streak. It was the largest margin of defeat this season for UAB. The Blazers led early at 14-10, but Louisville took control and led 43-30 at halftime. The Blazers rallied from a 57-41 deficit to cut the margin to 59-53. Louisville scored nine straight points to push the lead back to 15 and the Blazers could not get the lead under double figures until the final 25 seconds of the game. UAB shot just 39.7 percent from the field, making just 31 percent of its shots in the first half. Louisville shot 47 percent for the game, after making 53 percent from the field in the first half. Mo Finley led UAB with a season-high 23 points. Will Campbell recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds. P.J. Arnold scored 15 and Eric Bush added 13 points with seven assists. Carlos Hurt and Erik Brown both made 5-of-10 of their shots for Louisville. Hurt scored 14 points and Brown 13.

THE EAST CAROLINA SERIES This is the first meeting between the two schools. East Carolina is in its first year in Conference USA.

UAB IN BARTOW ARENA The Blazers are 6-2 in Bartow Arena this season and. They are 157-36 (.814) in their 14th year playing in Bartow. The Blazers were 10-5 at home last year. Overall the Blazers are 291-72 (.802) in Birmingham, and have won six straight games in the city. UAB beat UNLV in the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex as part of the Arby's Hardwood Classic.

A RARITY, HOME LOSS Saturday's loss to Louisville was just the second this year in Birmingham and Bartow Arena. It was the first time in the last six games UAB had not won by at least 18 points at home. The Blazers opened the home season with a one-point loss to Richmond. After that, UAB reeled off five straight wins in Bartow at an average win margin of 25.8 points per game.

FINISHING UP THE HOME STRETCH This game completes a four-game home stretch for the Blazers. UAB is 2-1 so far in this stretch. The Blazers defeated Jackson State 88-68 and Florida A&M 67-49 before falling to Louisville. UAB will play three of its next four games on the road.

CLOSE LOSSES Louisville defeated the Blazers by the biggest margin this season. Prior to this past Saturday, the biggest loss was a six-point loss at Virginia Commonwealth. The 11-point decision was half of the total of the other six losses. UAB had lost the first six games by a total of 22 points. This was the first game decided by more than six points that UAB had lost.

WINNING AND LOSING MARGINS UAB is averaging winning games by 21.7 points per game. The 74-68 win over UNLV is the only time the Blazers have won by less than 10 points. The six losses have been by a total of 33 points, just 4.7 points per game.