RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR: The UAH men's basketball team will close out the calendar year at home, welcoming Oakland City in the final non-conference game of the season at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Chargers will then hit the road to the Magnolia State, battling Delta State at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday before venturing to Mississippi College for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Thursday. UAH carries a 8-3 (2-2 Gulf South Conference) record into the week.
LAST TIME OUT: The Chargers last played on Dec. 19 when UAH knocked off Shorter 85-78 in the Rocket City Classic to ride into the Christmas break on a three-game winning streak.
ELLIOTT HEATING UP: After scoring just two points against Montevallo on Nov. 29, the senior has gone on a strong of four straight in double figures including a career-best 29 at Trevecca Nazarene while shooting 58.1 percent overall and 60.9 percent from beyond the arc during that span. On the year, Elliott ranks second for the Chargers with 12.1 points per game.
PROTECTING THE ROCK: After giving the ball away 17 times in its first two conference games and going 0-2 in those contests, the Chargers greatly reduced their miscues in going 2-0 against Lee and Shorter, turning it over just 10 times against the Flames before committing a season-low nine turnovers against Shorter.
FROM DOWNTOWN: UAH continues to be one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the conference, leading the league with 11.9 made per game while ranking third with a 41.1 percent success rate from beyond the arc. The Chargers have hit at least 10 3s in eight games are 7-1 in those contests.
ABOUT OAKLAND CITY: The Mighty Oaks visit Huntsville at 8-1 on the year with the lone loss coming at the hands of the Chargers. Since that contest, Oakland City has reeled off six straight victories.
SERIES HISTORY: After picking up an 87-79 win on Nov. 18 in the Hoosier State, the Chargers are now 22-7 against OCU. In the earlier meeting,
Justin Ward led UAH with 29 points on the strength of seven 3-pointers.
ABOUT DELTA STATE: DSU is 5-7 overall on the year while owning a 3-1 record in league play, and the Statesmen are 3-5 in Cleveland. With 16.5 points per game, Brett Warner leads the Statesmen offensively.
SERIES HISTORY: The Chargers are 15-19 all-time against the Statesmen after both teams defended their home floors last season. At Cleveland, DSU was a 90-81 winner to record its fourth straight home win over UAH.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE: The Choctaws will welcome Southern Arkansas and North Alabama before hosting UAH on Thursday, and the team enters the period at 4-5 and 2-3 in GSC play. Four different players are scoring in double figures with Stacey Mack's 17.6 per game leading the way.
SERIES HISTORY: UAH claimed both meetings a year ago to take a 5-3 lead in the all-time series between the two programs. In the 80-70 road victory, UAH was led by Ward who scored 19.
