The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
East Carolina
Blazers Slip By East Carolina
2/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 14, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Morris Finley hit a 12-foot fade-away jumpshot from the baseline with 1:02 left to lift UAB to a 72-69 victory over East Carolina on Saturday night in Bartow Arena.
The win improves the Blazers to 15-6 overall and 8-2 in Conference USA - the best start in C-USA in school history. The victory also sets up a showdown on Wednesday between UAB and nationally-ranked Cincinnati who is tied for second in the conference at 8-2, half a game behind Memphis for first place.
Gabe Kennedy and Demario Eddins scored 16 points each to lead UAB. Finley added 10 points and seven boards, while Sidney Ball added nine points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals for the Blazers.
"Coming into this game, I was really worried," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "East Carolina is a good team with good athletes. They shot the ball well and, at times, really took it to us. Both teams left it out their on the floor."
The Blazers outrebounded a team for only the sixth time this season, grabbing 40 boards compared to 35 for ECU. In the first meeting this season between the two teams, ECU outrebounded the Blazers 48-24, and Anderson knew that was a key factor coming into Saturday's game.
"I thought the rebounds were the difference in the game," said Anderson. "East Carolina came into this game as one of the top rebounding teams in the conference. We knew we had to do a better job on the boards than last time we played them. Without our rebounding, it may have been a totally different game."
Belton Rivers came off the bench to score a career-high 26 points to lead East Carolina. Mike Cook added 11 points and Erroyl Bing had 10 points and eight boards for the Pirates.
Finley's clutch basket made up for a turnover he had committed just a moment earlier.
A dunk by East Carolina's Moussa Badiane tied the game 69-all with 2:11 left.
On UAB's next possession, Finley tried to pass inside to Kennedy, but the pass went out of bounds and East Carolina called timeout with 1:40 left.
Bing drove inside but missed a short jumper and UAB rebounded to set up what proved to be the game winning shot by Finley.
Finley missed a jumper with seven seconds remaining, setting up East Carolina's last opportunity. But Ball intercepted a pass by Cook and was fouled with .03 seconds left. Ball hit one of two free throws and a long desperation pass by East Carolina was batted away at the buzzer.
The Blazers were down eight, 39-31, at the half after ECU shot a scorching 55.6 percent in the opening 20 minutes. UAB opened the second half on a 21-1 run to take a 45-42 lead with 14:04 remaining. The game went back and forth in the final 20 minutes, as there were seven lead changes and four ties.
UAB will next be in action when the Blazers play host to Conference USA rival and nationally ranked Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The first 5,000 fans through the doors will receive a 25th Anniversary "Rally Towel".
