The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Cincinnati
Men's Basketball Falls To Cincinnati, 90-83
1/17/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2001
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI - Steve Logan scored 19 points and B.J. Grove had a career-high 12, most of them in the second half as Cincinnati held on for a 90-83 victory Wednesday night over UAB.
Cincinnati (12-4, 3-1 Conference USA) let its 23-point lead dwindle to 88-83 with 17 second left before the Blazers (8-8, 1-3) ran out of 3-pointers and time.
Antwan Jones, who left Cincinnati last week because of his limited playing time and missed two games, returned and scored 15. Needing depth on their front line, the Bearcats welcomed Jones back after he had failed to show up for practices and the last two games because he was unhappy with his limited role.
Cincinnati's front line dominated the smaller Blazers early in the second half, with Grove and Jones leading the way to a 70-47 lead.
Eric Batchelor hit three 3-pointers in a closing 21-8 run that got the Blazers close. Batchelor finished with 20 points and P.J. Arnold had 26 as UAB once again failed to overcome a terrible start.
During a 64-52 loss to Southern Mississippi on Saturday, the Blazers scored only 15 first-half points, matching their school-record low.
The Blazers were rattled in the first five minutes Wednesday, missing their first four shots and turning the ball over five times as Cincinnati pulled ahead 14-0.
As they've done so often this season, the Bearcats went stale once they got way ahead. Arnold made six of his eight first-half shots and led a surge that cut the lead to 28-20.
Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins, wearing a gray three-piece suit, turned from screaming at the officials to screaming at his players as they failed to build upon the early lead.
Grove, a sophomore center who had never scored more than six points in a game, had eight in a two-minute, 40-second stretch early in the second half as Cincinnati pulled ahead by 19. Jones hit three consecutive 3-pointers and a follow-up basket for the 70-47 advantage.
Grove also had a career-high 10 rebounds, double his previous best.
UAB's Sidney Ball scored a season-high 11 points in his best performance since returning from a knee injury in late December.
