UAB Downs Memphis To Collect Ninth Straight Road Win

By Steve Irvine

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - February 22, 2026

Not even the FedExForum could stop the UAB men’s basketball team from winning on the road.

On Sunday, the Blazers stepped inside a building where it had never beaten the Tigers, and confidently put together an 78-67 victory over Memphis in an American Conference win at the FedExForum between two of the teams jockeying for position in the jumbled conference standings.

Evan Chatman put the Blazers on his back in the first half, Daniel Rivera stepped up big down the stretch and Chance Westry was the best player on the court if you put both halves together. Mix in a first half defense that created 11 steals and a calm approach when Memphis threatened in the second half and UAB now has a nine-game road streak with eight of those coming in conference play.

Perhaps most importantly, UAB beat Memphis in Memphis for the first time since Jan. 2, 1999 and it marked the first Blazer win over the Tigers at the FedExForum in history. UAB came into Sunday with a 0-14 record inside the FedExForum against the Tigers.

However, none of the current UAB players who got on the floor on Sunday had ever played in a UAB-Memphis game inside the FedExForum. They were able to leave with a 1-0 record in the building.

“I was proud that we had some poise,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said on his postgame appearance on Blazer Sports Network from Learfield. “I would have much rather, won both halves by 16. But to find a way to come in here and for the first time in UAB history to get an 11-point win in the FedEx Forum against Memphis, I know somebody's looking down proud. I got a feeling Gene Bartow is taking some pride in this one. It took us a while, but I'm glad we finally were able to accomplish it.”

A heavy dose of work toward the accomplishment came in a first half that was dominated by Chatman, Westry and the UAB defense. Nobody on either side was better than Chatman, who once again shared the frontcourt with Rivera as KyeRon Lindsay-Martin missed another game with injury. At one point, Chatman scored 10 consecutive UAB points, including an 8-0 run that turned a four-point deficit into a 19-15 lead. By halftime, Chatman had 18 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. He made 7-of-8 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 3-pointers, and UAB had a 46-30 lead.

“It was obviously Evan Chatman's finest first half of his collegiate career,” Kennedy said of Chatman, who finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals. “He was unbelievable in leading us to that 16-point lead, knocking down shots man, just playing with great confidence.”

At the same time, Westry was also filling up the first half box score. Westry had 14 points, six assists, five steals and two rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

The second half didn’t go nearly as smoothly for the Blazers. They didn’t shoot the ball well early in the half but still found a way to lead by 18 points with 14:28 remaining. But Memphis (12-15 overall, 7-7 American Conference) flipped things around over the next seven minutes. Memphis put together a 12-0 run and outscored the Blazers 18-7 overall in those seven minutes. Dug McDaniel’s jumper cut the UAB lead to 64-61 with 7:05 left.

Instead of panicking, though, Rivera attacked basket for one of his three drive and dunks down the stretch. Rivera then hit two free throws after being fouled on a drive on the next possession and added another dunk just after that. His 6-0 run settled the crowd done and put the Blazers back in charge.

“They were really up in us defensively,” Kennedy said. “The number one thing you've got to do vs. pressure, you've got to drive pressure. Chance was a little reluctant. You know, Dug McDaniel was so small, he was playing under Chance. He leads the league in steals and I think it had Chance a little worried about trying to get too deep. Thank goodness Daniel didn't have that same apprehension because he was catching it, driving it for about 18 feet and then finishing like a grown man.”

Rivera finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and a blocked shot and also brought the ball up the court at times when Memphis pressured full court.

The Blazers also did a great job defensively down the stretch, holding the Tigers without a point for more than five minutes. By the time, Sincere Parker ended the scoreless string, the Blazers were up by double digits and cruising to the historical win. The job that UAB did on Parker was a huge difference in the second meeting between the teams this season. Parker had 40 points and six 3-pointers in Memphis’ 90-80 win at Bartow Arena on Feb. 5. On Sunday, he had a quiet 13 points in 31 minutes on 6-for-14 shooting from the field with misses on both of his 3-point attempts.

Westry was the star on Sunday, finishing with 23 points, six assists, five steals, four rebounds and a blocked shot in 35 minutes.

“I thought he was the best player in the game tonight and I think he's got a chance to be the best player in the games moving forward,” Kennedy said.

UAB moves forward with three games remaining in the regular season. The Blazers (18-10 overall, 9-6 American Conference) are in sole possession of fourth place in the standings but are tied with Charlotte and Tulane in the loss column. UAB has a midweek bye before returning to Bartow Arena next Sunday to play North Texas. The Blazers follow that with a road game at Charlotte on March 4 with the chance to join the 2022-23 Houston team as the only American Conference team to finish without a road loss in conference play.