Rod Rucker's 22 points, 9 boards lift Alabama-Birmingham over Louisiana-Monroe 76-69
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rod Rucker had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead Alabama-Birmingham over Louisiana-Monroe 76-69 Thursday night.
Robert Williams and Preston Purifoy each scored 12 points, while Terence Jones and Jordan Swing added 11 apiece for UAB (6-6).
UAB outrebounded Louisiana-Monroe 38-34, grabbing 13 boards on the offensive end that led to 14 second-chance points. The Blazers dished out 18 assists, committing 12 turnovers, and made 16 of 20 free throws.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}UAB led 37-31 at halftime and pushed its lead to as much as 15, at 64-49, in the second half on Purifoy's layup.
Trent Mackey led Louisiana-Monroe (1-7) with 17 points and Kyle Koszuta came off the bench to score 15, but the Warhawks never got any closer than six in the second half after leading for the opening 10 minutes of the first half.