The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulane
UAB Falls To Tulane In OT, 76-73
1/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2005
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Taylor Rochestie's three-pointer from the top of the key as time expired in overtime beat the buzzer and UAB as Tulane downed the Blazers, 76-73, in Conference USA play Wednesday night. Rochestie hit a three-pointer with :30 left in regulation to send the game to extra frames as well as the freshman played hero for the Green Wave.
"It's a tough way to lose," UAB head coach Mike Anderson said. "I thought we had control of the game in overtime, and even toward the end of regulation. We got it down to three and all we had to do was make one shot and just didn't. They made plays. Of course, it comes back to our inability to execute down the stretch. We had the ball with a chance to take the last shot, but we didn't get a great attempt at the goal. The same thing took place in the overtime."
Tulane (7-9, 1-4 Conference USA) shot 54.5-percent for the contest and overcame 25 turnovers to win for the fifth time in six games against UAB (13-5, 3-2 C-USA). Quincy Davis led the Green Wave with 20 points and David Gomez added 14 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Demario Eddins paced UAB with 18 points. He was tangled up underneath the UAB basket with :06.7 remaining in the overtime frame and called a timeout. One official signaled for the time out while another indicated UAB had violated the shot clock. After conferring, the three-man crew determined the Blazers had used up their :35 and the final possession of the period would be Tulane's.
"In overtime, we were getting penetration," Anderson said. "We got Demario (Eddins) slicing to the hole. But, they made some plays going down the stretch and we didn't shoot the ball particularly well."
Donell Taylor scored 12 for the Blazers while Marvett McDonald and Marques Lewis added 11. UAB shot 37.3-percent from the field and hit just seven-of-15 free throws in the second half after a 7-for-7 performance in the first.
UAB led, 31-30, at halftime behind Lewis' early play. The senior center was perfect for three field goal and free throw attempts before intermission with nine points. Tulane used a 6-0 run after the first media timeout of the second half to go ahead, 60-52, with 8:43 to play after Rochestie's first three of the night.
Beginning with a free throw at the 4:51 mark of the second half which brought it back to a three-point game at 61-58, Eddins scored nine of UAB's remaining 14 points in the period. Donell Taylor's three-pointer with :52 left gave the Blazers a 68-65 lead, but Rochestie's second of three trifectas with :31 left sent the game to the extra period.
The loss was UAB's first league road setback of the year. It was Tulane's first league victory.
The Blazers have little time to recover as they host Memphis at 1 p.m. CT Saturday in a nationally televised contest. ESPN2 will carry the game live from Bartow Arena. The game can also be heard on the Blazer Sports Network which airs on WYDE, 101.1 FM in Birmingham.
