The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
DePaul
UAB Edged In OT By DePaul, 75-74
3/12/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 12, 2004
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI (AP) - Delonte Holland glanced at the DePaul bench and decided there was no way he was going to miss a free throw.
Two shots, two perfect swishes, and the Blue Demons were headed to the Conference USA tournament title game.
Holland hit his two free throws with 5.3 seconds left in overtime, then blocked a shot to preserve a 75-74 victory over UAB in the semifinals Friday.
DePaul (21-8) overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half behind Holland, who made the game's biggest plays and finished with 21 points. All of the Blue Demon's seven points in overtime came off free throws.
As he set up at the line to decide the game, Holland - an 80 percent free throw shooter - got inspiration by looking around.
"I was just trying to keep calm," said Holland, who finished 9-of-11 from the line. "I looked at the sideline and saw everybody, the emotion. We had come so far. Being a senior, I didn't want to come this far and miss a free throw at the end."
Holland hit them both, then got down the floor and swatted away Sidney Ball's baseline jumper with 0.3 left. Ball passed to Demario Eddins for an alley-oop attempt that didn't come close at the buzzer.
"I can't believe we lost," said Blazers point guard Carldell Johnson, who had 14 points and tied the tournament record with 11 assists.
Morris Finley led the Blazers with 20 points, including a three-point play and a floating jumper that tied it at 68 at the end of regulation.
UAB (20-9) and DePaul were two of the five teams that shared the conference's regular-season championship, with the Blue Demons getting the top seed by virtue of the tiebreakers. The Blazers lost to Louisville in the tournament title game last year.
DePaul fell behind 49-33 early in the second half, flustered by the Blazers' constant traps and full-court pressure. The Blue Demons committed their 20th turnover with 10:14 left in regulation, but didn't turn it over again, leaving room.
The Blazers kept constant pressure on Drake Diener, the conference's most accurate 3-point shooter. He got only two shots in the first half, missing his only 3-point try.
DePaul had three turnovers in the first minute of the second half that set up 3-pointers by Finley - one from the right side, the other from the left. Johnson then had a pull-up jumper, a driving layup and a steal and layup as UAB increased its lead to 16.
That's when DePaul started taking care of the ball and using its size advantage on the front line. Diener's only 3-pointer of the game started a 15-2 spurt that cut it to 51-48.
"That's like they've done it all year long," UAB coach Mike Anderson said. "They hung around and in overtime made their free throws."
Holland scored eight points in a five-minute span as DePaul finally pulled ahead. Quemont Greer's 17-foot jumper gave DePaul its biggest lead, 68-63, with 1:35 to go in regulation, but Finley had a three-point play and jumper tied it.
There were six lead changes and only one field goal in overtime. DePaul went 7-of-8 from the line for its points, and Finley made UAB's only basket to go with four free throws.
The Blazers will now await Sunday's announcements concerning postseason tournament play.
