BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Dirk Williams sank four 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead Alabama-Birmingham past Marshall 95-91 on Thursday night and give the Blazers a two-game advantage atop the Conference USA.

Nick Norton added 17 points, Chris Cokley had 16 and Robert Brown 13 for UAB (23-5, 13-2), which shot 47 percent and had 19 assists to go with its 31 field goals. William Lee collected 10 rebounds to go with nine points.

Tied 49-49 at the break, Lee put UAB on top for good with a 3-pointer that made it 78-76 with 5:32 left. Marshall (15-13, 11-4) twice sliced the gap to a single point in the final three minutes before Williams sparked a 6-2 burst with a 3-pointer to pad the advantage 91-87 with 18 seconds left. Hakeem Baxter and Nick Norton sealed it from the free-throw line.

Stevie Browning's 23 points led five Marshall players in double figures.