The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Arizona
Blazers Tourney Run Ends With 85-63 Loss To Arizona
3/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 19, 2005
By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Sports Writer
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Salim Stoudamire's shooting and a little calm under pressure helped Arizona reach the NCAA regional semifinals for the fourth time in five years.
Stoudamire made five 3-pointers and had 28 points, and Arizona never buckled under UAB's constant pressure defense to move on in the Chicago Regional with a 85-63 victory over the Blazers on Saturday.
Arizona (29-6) struggled with UAB's frenetic, trapping defense in the first half, but had just four turnovers in the second to reach the round of 16 for the 12th time. The Wildcats, the 1997 national champions, move on to Rosemont, Ill., next weekend and will face either Oklahoma State or Southern Illinois, which play Sunday in Oklahoma City.
UAB (22-11) played its usual helter skelter pace and gave the Wildcats problems at times, but couldn't seem to turn mistakes into points. The 11th-seeded Blazers made just 6-of-30 from 3-point range - their forte - and shot 32 percent overall in failing to add another upset victory to a list of tournament wins that included Washington, Kentucky and LSU the past two years.
Donell Taylor scored 13 points for the Blazers and Demario Eddins added 12.
UAB's defensive pressure gave LSU all kinds of trouble on Thursday, leading to 21 turnovers in the Blazers' 14-point victory. Arizona didn't exactly handle the pressing and trapping too well early, but made up for it in other ways.
Though they had 16 turnovers, the Wildcats never got flustered and kept working the ball around the perimeter for open shots. Arizona shot 52 percent from the field and made 18-of-23 from the free throw line, including 12-of-15 in the second half when UAB picked up the pressure.
And the Wildcats did it without much help from Channing Frye.
UAB crowded the lane to keep Arizona's center from getting the ball and doubled him whenever he touched it, holding him to six points on just five shots.
But Stoudamire made the Blazers pay for collapsing inside, hitting three 3-pointers and scoring 15 points in the first half. He added a four-point play to push Arizona's lead to 14 at the 13-minute mark, and was 7-for-7 on free throws.
The Wildcats had 12 turnovers - nine on steals - in the first half, leading to 17 of UAB's 31 points, but they also beat the press for 12 points on the break and on quick shots before the Blazers could set up. Arizona went on a 10-3 run late in the first half to take a 40-31 lead, then gradually pushed it to 17 midway through the second.
