Miss. St. rolls over UAB

By

Posted 6:54AM on Friday, January 3, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - Eighth-ranked Mississippi State used its usual workmanlike style in a 68-52 victory over UAB on Thursday night. It wasn't beautiful, but it was enough to make coach Rick Stansbury happy. ``Any time you go on the road and win, that's a pretty win,'' Stansbury said. ``We didn't play our best on offense, but our ability to defend and rebound is the reason we've been able to win on the road.'' Mario Austin scored 13 points, Michal Ignerski had 12 and Winsome Frazier added 10 for Mississippi State (10-1). The Bulldogs held UAB's leading scorer, Morris Finley, to just two points in the first half. Finley, who entered the game averaging 18.5 points, finished with 15 for the Blazers (8-3). UAB's trapping defense helped force 23 Mississippi State turnovers, but the much taller Bulldogs had a 43-28 rebounding edge and held the Blazers to 36 percent shooting. ``I have gone against this team when I was coaching at Arkansas, and they didn't have the depth that they have now,'' said UAB coach Mike Anderson, a former assistant to Nolan Richardson with the Razorbacks. ``They were simply more physical than our team and they forced us to play their style of ball.'' Austin and Ignerski combined for 13 rebounds and Mississippi State had eight blocked shots as the Bulldogs dominated inside. The schools played for the first time since 1993, and UAB led the series 4-1. But the Blazers were no match for the taller, stronger Bulldogs this time. Mississippi State built a 20-point lead midway through the second half after leading 38-21 at halftime. UAB could get no closer than 15 points down the stretch. Mississippi State started slowly, turning the ball over five times in the first three minutes of the game. But the Bulldogs used a tight man-to-man defense to gradually wear down the Blazers. The game was tied seven times early, but Austin powered inside for a three-point play to give Mississippi State a 17-14 lead. That started a 24-5 run that put the Bulldogs in control and gave them a 38-19 lead late in the first half. Derrick Zimmerman had nine points, five assists and three steals for Mississippi State. Austin and Ontario Harper each had seven rebounds.