Saturday, November 14
JACKSONVILLE
6 p.m.
Jax State
vs
UAB
11/13/2026 2:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – After back-to-back road contests, the Jax State men's basketball team takes a brief stop at Pete Mathews Coliseum to host in-state foe UAB on Friday evening at 6 p.m.
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The two teams have not met in over a decade with the most recent contest being Nov. 22, 2015, when the Blazers defeated the Gamecocks 61-55 in Birmingham. Saturday's matchup will be the first time that both teams have played in Jacksonville since Nov. 17, 2009. Overall, UAB leads the series 6-0 between the two.
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The Gamecocks (1-2) are making their return trip after a hard loss to the No. 8 Houston Cougars on Wednesday night. Jax State had its point total doubled by the Kelvin Sampson led Cougars in a 92-46 loss in Houston.Â
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Head coach Ray Harper's squad was led on the offensive end by sophomore Naas Cunningham's 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers and two steals. Also in double figures for the Gamecocks was Jordan Stiemke with 10 points, along with grabbing seven boards.Â
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Jax State's defensive tenacity, as well as retaining possession on the other end will be a key for the weekend bout, as the Gamecocks average 10.3 steals per game and force 15.0 turnovers per contest, both ranking No. 3 in Conference USA. The Blazers average 13.0 giveaways per game and force just 9.7, which ranks No. 11 in the American.
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Additionally, Jax State's three-point shooting will be a worthy watch, with the Gamecocks hitting 13.3 triples per game, ranking No. 11 nationally. As a unit, Harper's team is shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc, with three-point attempts making up 51.7% of the team's total shot attempts this season.
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UAB (2-1) comes to Jacksonville after four days of rest, most recently defeating the Florida A&M Rattlers 92-64 at home on Monday night. The Blazers only loss this season came in its season-opener against McNeese as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
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The Blazers are led by their veteran guard tandem of Deuce Jones and Justyn Fernandez, who score a combined 30.3 points per game between the two. Jones is one of the most effective in the American Conference at getting to the free throw line, already with 54 attempts from the stripe this season, which ranks No. 5 in the league. The junior is currently shooting 21-for-25 (84 percent) from the line through three games.
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Jax State will hit the road once again after Saturday's matchup, playing former Conference USA member Louisiana Tech inside Thomas Assembly Center on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
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The two teams have not met in over a decade with the most recent contest being Nov. 22, 2015, when the Blazers defeated the Gamecocks 61-55 in Birmingham. Saturday's matchup will be the first time that both teams have played in Jacksonville since Nov. 17, 2009. Overall, UAB leads the series 6-0 between the two.
Â
The Gamecocks (1-2) are making their return trip after a hard loss to the No. 8 Houston Cougars on Wednesday night. Jax State had its point total doubled by the Kelvin Sampson led Cougars in a 92-46 loss in Houston.Â
Â
Head coach Ray Harper's squad was led on the offensive end by sophomore Naas Cunningham's 13 points, including a trio of three-pointers and two steals. Also in double figures for the Gamecocks was Jordan Stiemke with 10 points, along with grabbing seven boards.Â
Â
Jax State's defensive tenacity, as well as retaining possession on the other end will be a key for the weekend bout, as the Gamecocks average 10.3 steals per game and force 15.0 turnovers per contest, both ranking No. 3 in Conference USA. The Blazers average 13.0 giveaways per game and force just 9.7, which ranks No. 11 in the American.
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Additionally, Jax State's three-point shooting will be a worthy watch, with the Gamecocks hitting 13.3 triples per game, ranking No. 11 nationally. As a unit, Harper's team is shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc, with three-point attempts making up 51.7% of the team's total shot attempts this season.
Â
UAB (2-1) comes to Jacksonville after four days of rest, most recently defeating the Florida A&M Rattlers 92-64 at home on Monday night. The Blazers only loss this season came in its season-opener against McNeese as part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
Â
The Blazers are led by their veteran guard tandem of Deuce Jones and Justyn Fernandez, who score a combined 30.3 points per game between the two. Jones is one of the most effective in the American Conference at getting to the free throw line, already with 54 attempts from the stripe this season, which ranks No. 5 in the league. The junior is currently shooting 21-for-25 (84 percent) from the line through three games.
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Jax State will hit the road once again after Saturday's matchup, playing former Conference USA member Louisiana Tech inside Thomas Assembly Center on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
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