Former Alabama and current Memphis guard Jahvon Quinerly had just cut the UAB lead down to 11 points on a beautiful midrange jumper when Christian Coleman found himself alone and driving toward the basket.

Without resistance or an opponent within 15 feet of the 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward, Coleman went airborne for an emphatic slam that kept an almost sold-out arena rocking and its opponent reeling in the wake of an unstoppable force.

The Blazers had five players in double figures and never trailed in the second half in securing a 97-88 victory over No. 19 Memphis, Sunday, Jan. 28, at Bartow Arena Birmingham.

It is the first victory over a ranked opponent since an 86-77 win over No. 19 Florida Atlantic last season.

“Obviously, when you get an opportunity to play Memphis in the Bartow Classic, nationally ranked on national television, you hope to maximize the opportunity,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “Our guys certainly did that. Our whole fan base did that. Birmingham did that. It was a win all across the board. Great energy in Bartow Arena, this place is really dynamic when we get a lot of people in here.”

UAB (12-7, 4-2 AAC) entered the game at 148 in the NCAA NET rankings and earns a Quad-2 win over Memphis (59) in front of an announced crowd of 8,127 in Bartow Arena.

“This is amazing, this is everybody’s dream,” Yaxel Lendeborg said. “On the court, I felt like I could cry. Not going to lie, this was a special moment for us as a team and I hope this becomes a reality for us. I felt like we were celebrating a little too early and getting away from the game, but the student support really helped us get this win. It gave us more energy and pizazz.”

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The Blazers shot 51.7 percent overall and were 9-of-20 on 3-pointers and 26-of-34 at the free-throw line. UAB allowed the Tigers to shoot 48.4 percent from the field — starting 8-for-8 to open the game — but forced 22 turnovers that resulted in 26 points and owned the glass with a plus-8 edge in rebounding

“The only way you can win a game with 21 turnovers is if you’re opponent has 22,” Kennedy said. “Luckily for us, we were disruptive and able to do things that have enabled us to be sitting here now with 13 wins. That is winning points in the paint, getting to that offensive glass and finishing some at the basket.”

Yaxel Lendeborg posted his eighth double-double of the season by finishing with a team-high 23 points and 16 rebounds, along with four assists and two blocks. He had 16 points in the first half, snapping a 4:15 field goal and igniting a 6-0 run to tie the game late in the period, and capped a 6-0 run in the second half to give the Blazers a 66-56 lead with 14:26 remaining in the game.

Of Lendeborg’s 16 rebounds, 10 came on the offensive end as the Blazers were outrebounded on their own glass by only two while grabbing a plus-10 advantage on Memphis’ backboard.

“The coaches told us they have a low rate of defensive rebounds and it was my job to go in and get second-chance points,” Lendeborg said. “The ball screen was coming to me in this game and I’m grateful for that.”

Eric Gaines finished with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and added four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Gaines made his first triple at the first-half buzzer, giving UAB a 45-44 lead at the halftime break, and jumpstarted a 16-6 run that saw the Blazers build a 13-point lead midway through the second half.

“Everybody was aware that he had not made a 3-pointer in five consecutive games,” Kennedy said. “He stepped up. Made the big one at the end of the half to give us the lead. At the half, we only led for two minutes and we led the entire 20 in the second half based off the momentum and the point guard play of EG.”

Efrem “Butta” Johnson and Daniel Ortiz both finished with 12 points and combined to go 6-of-13 from 3-point range. Ortiz made consecutive first-half triples to stay within a single point of Memphis and made another pair early in the second half before Johnson knocked down both of his shots to sandwich an empty possession and keep the Blazers ahead by double digits.

“Sometimes, shooters overthink things and he (Ortiz) does that at times,” Kennedy said. “Catch and shoot, he has a really quick release and his shot prep and footwork were outstanding. He got his hands on balls and really active in helping force 22 turnovers.”

Javian Davis had 10 points and six rebounds and made 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch in the final three minutes. UAB led by at least eight points after Davis started shooting from the line and the Blazers were 7-of-8 on free throws in the final minute.

Alejandro Vasquez finished with eight points and two assists, followed by Christian Coleman and Tony Toney, who had six points each with the former adding seven rebounds and two blocks.

The Blazers hit the road to face North Texas, Wednesday, Jan. 31, at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.