MEMPHIS, March 11 (UPI) -- Shawne Williams scored a team-high 18 points Saturday as 5th-ranked Memphis beat No. 24 Alabama-Birmingham, 57-46, to win the Conference USA championship.
Joey Dorsey added 10 points, 12 rebounds and blocked two shots; Darius Washington had seven points, four assists and two steals; and conference Player of the Year Rodney Carney totaled eight points, four rebounds, three assists and a block for the Tigers (30-3), who became the first team to reach 30 wins this season.
The victory was especially satisfying for Washington, who missed two of three free throws with no time left on the clock in last year's 75-74 title game loss to Louisville. Also, the win likely locked up a top seed for Memphis in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Paul Delaney had 14 points, six rebounds and three steals; and Brandon Tobias had nine points, seven rebounds and a block for UAB (24-6), which was out-rebounded, 41-37.
