No. 3 UAH basketball wins sixth Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship

BIRMINGHAM – The UAH men’s basketball team won their sixth Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham on the campus of Samford University with a 101-95 victory over second-seeded Valdosta State.

Saturday night’s win marked UAH’s 30th straight victory. The No. 3 team in the country defeated No. 13 Valdosta State for the third time this season and represents three of the Blazers’ six losses.

The Chargers and Blazers exchanged blows much of the game with six total lead changes. UAH held a 47-40 lead at the halftime break, but the Blazers went on a 10-4 run early in the second half to cut the lead down. VSU outscored UAH 55-to-54 in the second half, but UAH came out with the win going 17-of-21 from the free throw line in the second.

Blake Campbell earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honor after averaging 20.7 points per game during tournament play along with 6.3 rebounds per game and 6.0 assists per game.

Daniel Saylor notched a double-double in the win as the Charger big man put up 14 points with 10 rebounds and a block in the victory.

Tommy Murr scored 22 points in the title game and went 12-for-12 from the free throw line along with four rebounds and three assists.

Matt Thurman and Luke Burnett combined to go 7-for-13 from three point land as Thurman scored 15 points and Burnett put up 13.

UAH held a narrow margin in bench points with a 25-to-20 advantage.

The Chargers have earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament with their win and will await their seeding in the South Region tonight at 10:00 pm.