Soko Leads UAB in Win, NCAA Recap

Alabama-Birmingham won its 20th game of the season and took sole possession of first place in the Conference USA standings with a 68-55 victory over Houston on Saturday behind a strong game from Ovie Soko. Soko had 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 31 minutes, shooting 8/12 from the floor and 1/2 at the line. He has now scored in double digits in his last 4 outings, averaging 14.5 points per game in that span.

Elsewhere…
Iowa State beat Nebraska 83-82 breaking a 10 game losing streak. Jamie Vanderbeken returned to the lineup after being out 3 games with an ankle injury and had a strong outing, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 39 minutes, going 5/9 from the field (3/6 from the deep).

Western Carolina beat College of Charleston 70-62. Andrew Lawrence had 10 points, 1 rebound and 2 steals in 26 minutes on 4/9 shooting.

Sacred Heart got an 88-66 season-ending victory over Monmouth (N.J.). Phil Wait had 8 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 16 minutes, going 3/4 from the field and 2/2 at the line. Daniel James registered a DNP.

Portland State got a 69-64 come-from-behind victory over Montana State. Paul Guede got a rare start for PSU, finishing with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 13 foul plagued minutes, shooting 3/4 from the field and 1/2 at the line.

San Francisco got a 77-75 victory against Loyola Marymount. Ashley Hamilton played 23 minutes off the bench, going 2/5 from the field and 2/2 at the line for 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block.

All 12 Rhode Island players scored in a 90-58 rout of Fordham. Ben Eaves had 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 15 minutes, shooting 2/5 from the field and 1/2 at the line. Fahro Alihodzic registered a DNP.

Long Island University got an 86-72 victory over Central Connecticut State. Devan Bailey had 2 points, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 30 minutes on 1/6 shooting.

Bethune-Cookman got a 76-72 victory over South Carolina State. Joe Ikhinmwin had 4 points and 1 rebound in 8 minutes, shooting 2/3 from the field.

Utah Valley defeated Houston Baptist 67-62. Ben Daniels had 2 points on 1/1 shooting in 6 minutes (0/1 at the line).

Notre Dame beat Seton Hall 60-48. Aaron Geramipoor had 4 rebounds in 7 minutes, missing his only field goal attempt.

Quinnipiac over Fairleigh Dickinson 71-60 on Saturday in both teams’ regular-season finale. Sam Fernley finished with 1 assist and 1 steal in 7 minutes for FDU. Raheem May-Thompson had 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 6 minutes, going 0/3 from the field and 0/2 at the line to remain scoreless.

Robert Morris defeated Wagner 66-49. Clayfell Harris got a rare start, playing 11 minutes and finishing with 3 points on 1/2 shooting (1/1 at the line).

Davidson defeated North Carolina-Greensboro 78-67. Ben Allison got a rare start, playing 5 minutes, going 1/2 from the field to finish with 2 points and 1 rebound.

Boise State won over Nevada 72-66. Patrick Nyeko had 1 point and 1 rebound in 10 minutes, going 0/1 from the field and 1/2 at the line.

Appalachian State got a 70-59 win over The Citadel. Both Ryan Kilmartin and Morakinyo Williams registered a DNP.

Marshall got a 64-62 win over Southern Methodist. Myles Luttman registered a DNP.

Oral Roberts closed out its regular season with a 69-57 victory over Western Illinois. Mikey Manghum registered a DNP.

Tennessee State to a 66-62 victory over Eastern Illinois. Levi Noel registered a DNP.

South Carolina-Upstate hit its free throws down the stretch to knock off Campbell 70-64. Larry Awosanya registered a DNP.

St. Francis (N.Y.) defeated Bryant 72-61 on Saturday in both teams’ regular season finale. Richard Clark registered a DNP.