Miss. St. rolls over UAB

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - Eighth-ranked Mississippi State used its usual workmanlike style in a 68-52 victory over UAB on Thursday night. <br> <br> It wasn&#39;t beautiful, but it was enough to make coach Rick Stansbury happy. <br> <br> ``Any time you go on the road and win, that&#39;s a pretty win,&#39;&#39; Stansbury said. ``We didn&#39;t play our best on offense, but our ability to defend and rebound is the reason we&#39;ve been able to win on the road.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Mario Austin scored 13 points, Michal Ignerski had 12 and Winsome Frazier added 10 for Mississippi State (10-1). <br> <br> The Bulldogs held UAB&#39;s leading scorer, Morris Finley, to just two points in the first half. <br> <br> Finley, who entered the game averaging 18.5 points, finished with 15 for the Blazers (8-3). <br> <br> UAB&#39;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. <br> <br> ``I have gone against this team when I was coaching at Arkansas, and they didn&#39;t have the depth that they have now,&#39;&#39; 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.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Austin and Ignerski combined for 13 rebounds and Mississippi State had eight blocked shots as the Bulldogs dominated inside. <br> <br> 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. <br> <br> 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. <br> <br> 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. <br> <br> 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. <br> <br> Derrick Zimmerman had nine points, five assists and three steals for Mississippi State. Austin and Ontario Harper each had seven rebounds.

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