Blazers Fall to FAU, 76-71, on Wednesday Night

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - January 8, 2026

Finishing without another loss is not part of the vision that Andy Kennedy has for his UAB basketball team after Wednesday night’s 76-71 American Conference setback to Florida Atlantic at Bartow Arena.

It was the second consecutive conference home loss for the Blazers and the fourth Bartow Arena loss for the Blazers this season.

“I don't have any visions of us finishing with six losses,” Kennedy said after the Blazers fell to 10-6 overall and 1-2 in the American Conference. “We're gonna lose some games. I just want us to play right and that's my job to get them to play right. It's either the messaging or the application or the personnel. There's really nothing else it could be, so I've got to make sure the messaging and the application is what I think it needs to be. And then it just comes down to personnel and players making plays.”

On Wednesday night, it was the Owls (10-6 overall, 2-1 American) making the plays for most of the night. FAU led for 37 minutes and 17 seconds of the 40-minute game with the largest advantage being 13 points. UAB’s first lead of the night, which came with 7:21 left in the game, lasted for 20 seconds. The Blazers second lead, which began at the 6:35 mark of the second half, was followed by a 13-2 FAU run over the next four minutes.

“Moments of truth,” Kennedy said. “We're just losing too many moments of truth throughout the course of the game. Shot here, rebound there, foul here, free throw here, turnover there. Those things cumulatively add up and you end up losing the two-possession game.”

UAB, which was coming off a gutsy double overtime win at South Florida, looked disjointed for much of the night. Part of the problem was Jacob Meyer never really got started because foul trouble limited his time throughout. Meyer finished with just two points in 12 minutes and didn’t have a field goal. Ahmad Robinson was ineffective for the second consecutive game. He was 2-for-11 from the field and hit just one of six 3-pointers on Wednesday.

“I've seen 3-for-26 the last two games,” Kennedy said when asked what he saw from Robinson on Wednesday. “It’s a miracle we won one. He's letting it affect his whole (game) and it should. I mean I get it.”

Kennedy was then asked what he needed to do to get Robinson going on the offensive end.

“He’s got to get going,” Kennedy said. “He's a fifth-year guy man, he's got to get going. And if he can't then we'll have to make a change.”

Chance Westry was the Blazers most efficient offensive player but he also had some struggles. Westry finished with 17 points, hitting 5-of-11 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free throw line, but also turned the ball over four times and had just three assists.

“If we don’t get him downhill and get him to facilitate and finish the play,” Kennedy said. “We need him to be an all-conference player. That’s what he wants, that’s what we want.”

One of the few bright spots for UAB was the play of Ari Gooch, who came off the bench to contribute eight points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 15 minutes. He sparked the team’s second half comeback in the first conference game he’s played in thus far.

“Literally, he had not practiced with the first team in two weeks,” Kennedy said. “I just liked Ari’s energy. He was energetic on the bench, so I gave him a shot and he produces.”

It was Gooch’s 3-pointer that gave UAB the 60-58 lead with 6:35 left but the Owls made the biggest plays down the stretch.

UAB lost the rebound battle for the third consecutive game, even though Evan Chatman had 15 rebounds and the Blazers front court of Chatman, Daniel Rivera and KyeRon Lindsay-Martin combined for 30 rebounds. FAU outrebounded UAB, 45-40, with each team grabbing 11 offensive boards. UAB was a serviceable 20-for-28 from the free throw lines but had some critical misses down the stretch.

The Blazers head back on the road this weekend with a trip to East Carolina on Sunday. That begins two straight on the road with a visit to Tulane on the following Wednesday.