A historic run of men’s basketball success continued in a big way on Saturday.

UAH’s men opened their stay in the NCAA Division II tournament with a 99-88 victory over Tampa in a strong first-round victory in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Chargers ran their winning streak to 31 games in a row, which marks the longest men’s basketball winning streak in the nation.

“I thought it was a hard-fought, high-level NCAA tournament basketball game against a good team that is really good at what they do,” UAH coach Mick Hedgepeth said. “Coach Darner has been doing this for a long time, a ton of respect for him. They’re just a team that really speeds you up and in your prep, it’s really hard to simulate that. We take care of the ball, if you look at the numbers, about as good as anybody, and they forced 21 turnovers.

“To Tampa’s credit, every time we got a margin, up 10, 15, whatever the case may be in the second half, they would get a steal, make a 3, get an offensive rebound. They’re a really physical team, they play with a ton of energy and effort.”

The Chargers bolted out to a 48-32 lead at halftime, thanks to 13 first-half points from Blake Campbell and 12 from Tommy Murr, and led by as many as 21 with 10:19 left to play after a 3-pointer from Murr.

Campbell finished with 30 points — a point short of his season high — as he shot 9-for-12 from the field and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. He also added 5 rebounds for UAH in the victory.

“A part of my game and what the team really needs me to do,” said Campbell, a native of Cleveland, Tenn. “Get to the paint, draw fouls, kick out and find open guys. So, I took that role and got in there and got physical.”

Murr, the Gulf South Player of the Year and Athens native, added a double-double with 23 points and a season-high 10 assists in the victory; he shot 7-for-8 from the free throw line for UAH.

The Lindsay Lane Christian alum, who’s the AHSAA’s all-time leading scorer, was quick to credit his teammates for both the game he had and the player of the year honor he received ahead of the postseason run.

Fellow senior Daniel Saylor also had a double-double for 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while forward Matt Thurman scored 16 points off the bench for the Chargers in the win.

“I can’t really speak enough to the guys,” Murr said after the win. “I’ve been saying it every time we interview after a game, it’s the culture. That’s a word that’s thrown around, but I feel like we’ve taken it and made it who we are, just a bunch of selfless guys who really care about winning. We’ve been saying it, but it’s amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit. That’s our mindset going into every game.

“I’m super grateful I’ve had a season where I’m healthy and God’s blessed me, but coach says it; those are team awards and the head coach of the year award is a staff award. I feel really grateful to be a part of it.”

The Chargers will take its 31-game win streak into the second round of the tournament against Florida Southern, who beat fellow in-state program Montevallo by 3 points in the first game of the day.

Tipoff is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. for the second-round matchup.

Hedgepeth said he and his veteran group will have to study film and be at its best against a “really talented team,” but took pride in his veteran group for its selflessness in the first-round win and throughout the year.

“I’m lucky as a first year as a head coach here to inherit a veteran group of guys who feel that way and embody a culture that we can be really proud of and represent us the right way on and off the court. I personally think shot selection really reflects your culture. Working to get the best shot your team can possibly get, and a lot goes into that.

“I think that’s one reason we’ve been able to have as efficient of a year as we’ve had because our guys embody being a selfless team and being a part of something bigger than yourself. It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of and I’m grateful that that’s been the case.”