UAB Forward Yaxel Lendeborg flirted with a triple-double, recording 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a game that came down to the final possession as the Blazers defeated the UTSA Roadrunners 81-78.

The Blazers have won five straight, improving their record to 12-7 with a 0.5 game lead on second place Temple heading into a pivotal matchup against 24th ranked Memphis on Sunday.

Fueling their winning ways lately has been the play of Lendeborg. The Blazers forward leads the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.

However, it was his frontcourt mate Christian Coleman, who blocked a potentially game-tying shot from UTSA’s Demari Montesanto with two seconds left in the game.

Coleman was the second-leading scorer for UAB, with 14 points and nine rebounds, with the only other Blazer in double-digit scoring being Efrem ‘Butta’ Johnson, who had 11 points of his own with four rebounds and three assists.

During the winning streak, the Blazers continue to find ways to win even when things haven’t gone their way. They shot 17.6 percent from three-point range on Tuesday, while the Roadrunners hit 38 percent of their three-pointers behind a 21-point performance from Monsanto who hit six of his 16 three-point attempts and a game-high 27-point performance from guard Primo Spears, who hit three of his eight longball attempts.

Andy Kennedy’s Blazers have appeared to turn things around after struggling the first 14 games. Up next for UAB is a trip to Memphis to face the 24th ranked Memphis Tigers. Last season the Tigers and Blazers split the season series with each team winning on their home floor.

With a victory on the road at Memphis on Sunday, UAB will beat the Tigers in Memphis for the first time since Jan. 2 1999.