UAB Fights To Another Road Win, Downs UNT 72-68
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - February 1, 2026
It hasn’t always been pretty. It hasn’t always been the way UAB men’s basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and his staff drew it up. But there has been one constant, at least thus far, when the Blazers head out on the road in American Conference play.
UAB finds a way to win.
That’s exactly what happened on Saturday night in Denton, Texas as the Blazers found a way to claim a gutsy 72-68 conference victory over North Texas at the Super Pit. When it was done, after the sigh of relief, Kennedy and his team celebrated the Blazers fifth consecutive American Conference road victory and sixth overall victory in a row away from Bartow Arena.
Which leads to an obvious question. Why have the Blazers lost four consecutive home conference games and played so well on the road?
“I don’t know, man,” Kennedy said on his postgame appearance on Blazer Sports Network from Learfield. “I’m just proud that we’re fighting. You know, I watch them play and it looks like we never practiced. But our guys fight, man. They really fight. They’ve got a resolve about them. We’ve done this enough that on the road, we don’t lose our poise. I think that’s something that’s been problematic for us at home. I hope that we can get that resolved ASAP.”
It was poise that ultimately helped UAB win the game on a night when KyeRon Lindsay-Martin celebrated a trip home with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds), Chance Westry sliced his way to 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field and Dayjaun Anderson scored all 13 of his points in the final half. The Blazers needed that poise to overcome a poor final six minutes of the first half, a rash of uncharacteristic turnovers and struggles from the free throw line in the final minute.
“When you come in here, it’s never going to be typically aesthetically pleasing,” said Kennedy, whose team improved to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in The American. “You just got to find a way to make the necessary effort plays that the game presents. I thought we were handling their pressure really well (early). We were getting good shots at the basket. I think we built an 11-point lead with about six minutes to go in the first half.”
The 28-17 lead melted away by halftime. North Texas (12-10 overall, 3-6 American Conference) outscored the Blazers, 22-6, over the final 6:18 of the half and took a 37-34 advantage into halftime. The Blazers kept it close for the first 14 minutes of the second half and then won the game down the stretch. Anderson kicked off a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer and the surge concluded with back-to-back layups by Westry and Jacob Meyer to give UAB a 61-58 advantage with 6:03 remaining.
The Blazers never trailed again but it remained a one-possession game until Westry’s layup with 25 seconds on the clock gave UAB a 71-66 advantage. North Texas answered with two free throws by David Terrell Jr. with 20 seconds left. Anderson had a chance to potentially ice the game five seconds later but missed both free throws. Terrell got back to the free throw line but also missed a pair with nine seconds on the clock. Evan Chatman grabbed the rebound and shoveled the ball to Meyer, who was fouled in the backcourt with six seconds left. Meyer missed the first free throw but hit the second to give UAB the four-point lead.
UAB won the rebounding battle, 35-31, and had a four-point advantage (10-6) in second chance points. Chatman had seven rebounds to go along with six points. The Blazers were outscored, 17-6, in points off turnovers but found a way to win the game.
The Blazers, who have been in Texas since Tuesday, come home after sweeping games against UTSA and North Texas. UAB plays two games at home next week with Memphis coming to town on Thursday night and Rice visiting on Sunday.