The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulsa
UAB Eliminated By Tulsa, 70-67
3/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes 
| Notes
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -Ray Reese scored 17 points, added six assists and led a second-half Tulsa rally as the Golden Hurricane beat UAB 70-67 in Friday night's semifinal at the Conference USA tournament.
The second-seeded Golden Hurricane (24-9) will face No. 4 Memphis in Saturday's final. The Tigers and Golden Hurricane played in last year's championship game, and Tulsa came the closest to knocking off the Tigers in conference play this season, losing 55-54 on a last-second shot by Antonio Anderson.
Paul Delaney III finished with 14 to lead the five Blazers in double figures on the night. Lawrence Kinnard and Robert Vaden added 12 each for third-seeded UAB, while Channing Toney and Howard Crawford scored 11 apiece.
The game was close throughout as neither team held more than a nine-point lead. The Blazers jumped out to a strong start and took an early 11-4 lead five minutes into the game. However, Tulsa answered with a 12-0 run to take a 16-11 lead. That was just the beginning of the back-and-forth affair. Tulsa would hold a slim 31-29 halftime lead.
"We got off to a great start," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "We just got in to a spot where we couldn't score and our players did a great job of staying with it and getting the game back to within two points at the half."
The Golden Hurricane extended their lead to seven by beginning the second half on a 5-0 run to take a 36-29 lead at the 15:55 mark.
However, the Blazers continued to fight their way back into the game. Vaden connected on a layup to knot the score at 42-42 with 9:02 remaining.
Tulsa again would respond again respond and hold the lead. Clinging to a 46-44 lead, the Golden Hurricane went on an 11-5 spurt to extend their lead to 57-49 with 6:08 remaining in regulation.
But the Blazers never gave up. Trailing 61-53 with 3:57 remaining in the contest, UAB went on a 10-3 run over the next 3:05 to narrow TU's gap to 64-63 with only 52 seconds remaining. But Tulsa connected on 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Glenn Andrews added 15 for the Golden Hurricane, while Ben Uzoh and Jerome Jordan finished with 11 apiece.
"There were some loose balls, but we just couldn't come up with that one big possession at the end of the game," Davis said. "They (Tulsa) made some big plays. The put back that (Sam Mitchell) had and the drive that (Justin Hurtt) made and the drive that (Glenn Andrews) made; those three possessions were really big for them. Both teams played hard. I am proud of my seniors and I am proud of my team for the effort that they gave tonight."
UAB will now await its fate on postseason play. The Blazers postseason schedule will be announced on Sunday night.
