GAME NOTES: The two longest-tenured teams in Conference USA tangle at Reed Green Coliseum Saturday as the Southern Miss Golden Eagles host the UAB Blazers.

UAB leads the all-time series, 25-17, after winning last season's lone showdown by 24 points.

The Blazers saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Thursday in a tough 74-71 road loss at Louisiana Tech. Both teams were unbeaten in conference play before the contest, and UAB lost despite making 58 percent of its shots.

The reason behind the loss was 20 turnovers and being held to one field goal over the final five-plus minutes. Robert Brown paced UAB with 14 points, while Chris Cokley and Denzell Watts donated 11 and 10 points, respectively.

UAB is just 7-10 overall, but its young roster has been playing well of late. Brown is the top threat on a regular basis with his 13.4 ppg, although he has made just 64.2 percent of his free-throw tries and that pales in comparison to the team overall at 70.8 percent. C.J. Washington (8.7 ppg) accounts for 4.6 rpg, one of the top marks on the Blazers, but no one is pulling down even five rebounds per contest, which often hampers them.

Southern Miss nearly snapped a six-game losing streak on Thursday but wound up dropping a 62-61 decision to Middle Tennessee. The Eagles led 61-58 before being held scoreless over the final three-plus minutes.

Chip Armelin scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Rasham Suarez added 14 points and Norville Carey chipped in with 12 in the loss, dropping Southern Miss to 0-4 in conference play.

The Golden Eagles have struggled to score points against Division I foes all season long, resulting in the program coming up with just 60.8 ppg, compared to opponents at 69.7 ppg. Matt Bingaya is listed as the leading scorer with 14.3 ppg, and he is also first on the glass with 5.5 rpg, followed by Armelin with 13.1 ppg.

UAB has only won once on the road this season, but the Blazers appear to have found their stride while Southern Miss continues being stuck in the mud. Another blowout in favor of the Blazers is in store.