Doneal Mack scored 18 points and Elliott Williams had 17 points and nine rebounds as Memphis defeated Alabama-Birmingham 70-65 on Wednesday night for the Tigers' ninth consecutive victory in the series.
Memphis (22-8, 12-3 Conference USA) won despite scoring only three points over a 10-minute span in the second half. The Tigers led 52-38 with 14 minutes to play, then held off a Blazers rally that saw UAB (23-6, 11-4) pull to within three points.
The victory gives Memphis sole possession of second place in Conference USA. The loss snapped the Blazers' four-game winning streak and dealt a blow to their NCAA tournament chances.
Elijah Millsap led UAB with 19 points and nine rebounds. The Blazers were 21-for-65 from the field (32.3 percent) and 3-for-24 from 3-point range (12.5 percent).
The Tigers sank 13 of 22 shots (59.1 percent) to take a 36-29 halftime lead.
