GAME NOTES: The UAB Blazers finally put a stop to a three-game losing streak, and now they'll go for consecutive wins as they host the Illinois State Redbirds in a non-conference matchup at Bartow Arena.

Illinois State is coming off a 66-62 loss to VCU Tuesday, and has lost two of its last three games. The Redbirds bring a 3-3 overall record into this clash, but the team has yet to lose back-to-back games this season.

UAB dropped three straight games in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas - all to ranked competition. But the Blazers turned things around with a 58-48 victory over Morehead State in the their most recent outing to push their record to 3-5 this season.

The all-time series between Illinois State and UAB has spanned more than two decades, but during that time only two games were played. Each team has a win in the series, with UAB winning back in 1990 and Illinois State owning the most recent decision, a 77-65 victory back in 2012.

Somehow Illinois State managed to drop a four-point contest to VCU on Tuesday after the Rams shot a dismal 33.8 percent from the floor while the Redbirds connected on 50 percent of their shots, which included a 7-of-13 mark from 3- point range. DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell scored 18 points to pace the team in the loss, adding seven rebounds to his stat line. Paris Lee chipped in with 12 points, and Daishon Knight netted 11 points with six rebounds. Ultimately VCU got more shots up from the field, allowing them to take the lead in the second half after a 35-33 Illinois State lead at halftime.

Akoon-Purcell leads the team in scoring this season with a 16.2 ppg average, netting 52.3 percent of his shot attempts from the floor. The 6-foot-5 guard also leads the team in rebounding, bringing down 6.0 boards per outing. Knight comes in at second on the team with an 11.8 ppg mark, while Bobby Hunter rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers at 11.2 ppg. As a unit, Illinois State is netting 69.8 ppg compared to 65.3 ppg allowed to opponents. Lee owns a team-best 21 assists on the season.

Both UAB and Morehead State struggled to hit much in the way of shots, but it was the Blazers who owned a 38.9 percent mark that allowed them to take the lead. C.J. Washington netted 14 points with a team-high seven rebounds for UAB, while Tyler Madison chipped in with 11 points in the win. The Blazers only connected on 4-of-16 from 3-point range, but the defense held Morehead State to just 34 percent shooting from the field to gain a 10-point advantage in the second half.

The Blazers are in need of some more offense entering this clash, as the team averages 64.0 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting from the floor, while opponents are netting 67.8 ppg. Washington is the only double-digit point scorer on average for the Blazers, coming in to this contest sporting a 10.9 ppg mark with a team-high 5.4 rpg. Madison and Robert Brown are close though, each contributing 9.8 ppg. Nick Norton (6.4 ppg) leads the team with 36 assists on the season to just 10 turnovers. He also owns a team-best 13 steals.

Neither team has shown an ability to be an offensive threat this season, although Illinois State has put together some 80-plus point outings. With Akoon-Purcell, Knight and Hunter all clicking, the Redbirds can be dangerous as long as they hold it together defensively. UAB isn't as intimidating as it used to be down low, save for Washington, so the Blazers need to start picking up the pace from the perimeter.