Winning conference games on the road is never easy, and it becomes even more difficult when you are being outspent in NIL resources by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Coach Andy Kennedy proved he can get it done, but the bigger question is how sustainable that success will be.

Determination defined the UAB Blazers’ gritty 109–106 double-overtime victory over the South Florida Bulls in an American Athletic Conference showdown at the Yuengling Center on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Trailing by 11 points with just over five minutes remaining in regulation, UAB stormed back to force overtime and eventually escape with the win. The victory improved the Blazers to 10–5 overall and 1–1 in AAC play, while handing USF (8–6, 0–1 AAC) its first home loss of the season.

The 109-point outburst also marked UAB’s fourth 100-point game of the season, tying the program record for most 100-point performances in a single year—a mark previously set in 1992–93 and again in 2021–22.

Head coach Andy Kennedy summed up the performance during his postgame radio appearance on the Blazer Sports Network by coining a new statistic. “We won the most important category, and that was the one of determination,” Kennedy said. “I thought we were the most determined team, and really, really proud of their fight.”

South Florida controlled much of the first half behind the hot shooting of Wes Enis, a Division II transfer from Lincoln Memorial. Enis poured in 13 first-half points, knocking down three three-pointers. The Bulls built a seven-point advantage before UAB trimmed the deficit to 38–36 at halftime, thanks largely to Quaran McPherson’s unexpected offensive spark.

Making his first start of the season, McPherson delivered a season-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Entering the game just 2-of-12 from three-point range, McPherson buried all three of his attempts in the first half. Kennedy explained the lineup decision afterward, citing instinct and energy. “Coach [Gene] Bartow used to talk about trusting your gut, trusting your instincts,” Kennedy said. “I went with him because he’s always got good energy and he’s always positive. What a game by Q, huh? He gave us a great lift early.”

USF appeared to seize full control after halftime, extending its lead to 11 points on two occasions. The margin peaked at 76–67 with 5:08 remaining following a Nelson putback. Enis continued to fuel the surge, finishing with a game-high 36 points on 13-of-28 shooting and setting a program record by going 10-of-22 from three-point range.

UAB, however, refused to fold. Jacob Meyer ignited the comeback with a three-pointer, and Daniel Rivera followed with a dunk off a turnover. The Blazers closed regulation on a dominant 16–5 run, with Meyer and Rivera accounting for every point. Rivera, who entered the game shooting just 49 percent from the free-throw line, calmly sank two foul shots with 3.6 seconds remaining to tie the score at 83–83 and force overtime. He finished with 18 points while going 4-of-5 at the line.

The first overtime featured back-and-forth action. USF took a 94–91 lead on Nelson free throws with 54 seconds remaining, but Salim London answered with a baseline drive and second-chance layup. After the Bulls split a pair at the line, McPherson delivered another clutch moment, knocking down an off-balance 17-footer off a pass from Ahmad Robinson with 4.1 seconds remaining to tie the game at 95–95.

UAB faced even greater adversity in the second overtime, playing without its entire frontcourt after Rivera, KyeRon Lindsay-Martin, and Evan Chatman all fouled out. “We had to play basically two overtimes with the tallest player on the floor being Chance Westry at 6-6,” Kennedy noted. “And defensively, Chance plays about 5-6.”

Westry rose to the occasion as the Blazers’ makeshift big man, leading UAB with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting while adding six assists in 40 minutes. Robinson, despite a difficult shooting night (1-of-15), hit his lone basket—a game-tying three early in the period—to spark a 9–0 run that gave UAB a 104–98 lead with 2:22 remaining.

South Florida made one final push, cutting the deficit to 107–106 on an Enis three-pointer with 11.8 seconds left. Disaster nearly followed when Robinson’s inbounds pass slipped away under pressure, but Meyer hustled to secure the loose ball and raced in for a game-sealing dunk with 4.8 seconds remaining. Meyer finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, all of which came in the second half and overtimes after going scoreless in the opening half.

Robinson added 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while the undersized backcourt pairing of Robinson and Meyer combined for 19 rebounds against USF’s taller front line. Lindsay-Martin contributed 11 points before fouling out.

For the Bulls, Nelson recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Josh Omojafo added 15 points and 10 boards. USF dominated the glass 61–49, including a 17–12 edge in offensive rebounds, but UAB made the difference in efficiency—winning points in the paint (56–44), points off turnovers (16–8), and free throws (31-of-43 compared to 23-of-32).

Kennedy reflected on the improbability of the comeback by recalling a loss to USF head coach Bryan Hodgson’s Arkansas State team the previous season. “Remember last year we were up like 20-something and they came back and beat us?” Kennedy said. “That was probably about as improbable as us winning today.”

The win allowed UAB to avoid an 0–2 start in conference play under Kennedy for the first time. The Blazers now return home to host Florida Atlantic on Wednesday, January 7, at Bartow Arena, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.