Dexter Fields scored 13 points and Alabama-Birmingham held off a Central Florida second-half rally in a 53-49 win on Wednesday night.
The Knights trailed by eight at halftime, but tied the game at 38-38 on a basket by Keith Clanton with 11:02 remaining. UCF went the next 6:27 without a point and the next 7:21 without a field goal.
But the Blazers (22-5, 10-3 Conference USA) struggled to pull away, and A.J. Tyler's tip-in basket with 1:58 brought UCF to within two. The Knights (13-14, 5-8) had an opportunity to tie the game or go ahead, but UAB's Elijah Millsap stepped in front of a UCF pass and went the length of the court for a slam dunk to give the Blazers a four-point lead with 1:26 left.
Drew Speraw's tip-in basket with 6 seconds left brought the Knights to within three points, 52-49. But Ovie Soko hit one of two free throws to ice the game with 4 seconds remaining.
