UAB hits 12 threes, rolls past Florida A&M 92-64

UAB made 12 three-pointers on Monday night at Bartow Arena, shot 50 percent from beyond the arc and did not commit a single turnover in the first half. The Blazers had not made that many in a game since February 2023.

The 92-64 win over Florida A&M was the clearest picture yet of what UAB's guards can produce when the shots fall. UAB (2-1) led 47-27 at halftime behind an 8-of-14 clip from three and zero turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Justyn Fernandez scored 20 points. Deuce Jones scored 20. Salim London had 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. The three combined for 52 of UAB's 92.

The second half showed what the Blazers are still working through. UAB committed eight turnovers after halftime, got loose with the ball in the lane and watched the offense stall in stretches where the threes stopped falling. KyeRon Lindsay-Martin — the 6-8 forward who averaged 10.8 points and 6.4 rebounds last season and the only frontcourt player on Andy Kennedy's rebuilt roster with real production — spent the game in street clothes in the stands. He has sat there for the last two home games. He is ineligible. He cannot practice. He cannot sit on the bench.

"It's amazing how much better your team looks when the ball goes in the basket," UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. "You can sit around as a coach and wonder. You just try to get guys, making sure they're getting proper reps, and then you try to get them in the spots that you see them having the most success."

Fernandez shot 6-of-10 with two threes. Jones went 8-of-9 from the free throw line with four assists. The two have emerged as complementary pieces through three games, each averaging at least 15 points per game.

"I think we're two completely different players and I think that's why it kind of works. It kind of seems as if we're playing off each other," Fernandez said. "He's a very downhill kind of guy and I'm more of a shooter."

London, a sophomore from Hoover, had six assists against two turnovers and made two threes. Kennedy has been looking for him to be a connector.

"We need Salim to be our steadying force," Kennedy said. "It's good for his mojo to play well, and I thought he played well tonight."

Jones had four turnovers in the second half after UAB committed zero in the first.

"He had four turnovers in the second half, just trying to do too much," Kennedy said. "Living in that lane, trying to play through when it's not there."

The turnovers have been a season-long concern. UAB committed 14 in its opener, 17 against Nicholls and eight against FAMU — an improving trend but not yet where Kennedy wants it.

"I just don't think you can overcome it in this sport," Kennedy said. "Turnovers are killers."

The frontcourt is where the Lindsay-Martin absence is most visible.

Lindsay-Martin, a 6-8 forward who played at Georgia, Texas Tech, Murray State and UAB across four Division I seasons, has not been cleared to compete. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Blazers last season and was the only frontcourt player on Kennedy's rebuilt roster with meaningful production. He is not practicing.

Kennedy was asked Monday whether he is still hopeful Lindsay-Martin can find a path to eligibility.

"The thing that is the most frustrating for me is to see other kids in similar situations have opportunities and him not," Kennedy said.

Kennedy said UAB tried to go through the proper channels with the NCAA to get Lindsay-Martin's year back at Georgia. Both schools were aligned.

"Usually, when those two schools collaborate, and they're on the same page for the kid, then you can get it to where you want to get it, and we had that," Kennedy said. "I was really surprised by their decision."

The court challenge did not advance either. Kennedy said UAB is exploring other options but did not specify what those are.

"We're gonna fight until we can't, because he's so valuable to us. He really is," Kennedy said. "We're just so inexperienced in our front court, and it just shows. It's just glaring."

Without Lindsay-Martin, Kennedy is cycling through options at the five. None of them are there yet.

"We're really struggling at that five spot of getting real consistency," Kennedy said.

The catching has been a particular problem.

"I was so frustrated with our inability to catch the ball inside," Kennedy said.

He put it more colorfully a moment later: "They all catch it like they're wearing catcher's mitts."

Aleks Alston, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, had seven points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes. Kennedy credited him with keeping possessions alive early when UAB was tentative against FAMU's 2-3 zone — the first zone the Blazers have seen all season.

"I thought Alex kept balls alive off the offensive glass, which allowed us to kind of stay in there until we settled in and made some shots," Kennedy said.

Matt Mbole, a 6-foot-11 junior center playing his first season of Division I basketball, grabbed seven rebounds in 12 minutes. Freshman center Kaleb Davis, who Kennedy said had been "an odd man out" in the frontcourt rotation, contributed two points and three rebounds in nine minutes.

"I thought he really came in and gave us some minutes," Kennedy said. "Hopefully from a confidence standpoint, that'll do wonders for him."

Tim Holliday provided a spark off the bench, hitting both of his three-point attempts in six minutes.

"If you're gonna be good at one thing, shooting that ball's a pretty good one to choose," Kennedy said.

He added: "Every time we've asked him to respond, he has."

Jeremy Elyzee, who has 12 offensive rebounds through three games, finished with nine points and seven boards. All 12 UAB players saw the floor. Ten scored. Nobody played more than 26 minutes.

Fernandez said the identity is still forming — and that it has to extend beyond shooting nights.

"I hope that we're a team that continues to hit shots, but I think we also have to find an identity when we're not hitting shots," Fernandez said. "Understanding what we do well — rebounding, defending well and keeping turnovers down."

UAB plays next at Jacksonville State on Saturday.