The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
3-0
Troy
1-2
Washington Shines In UAB's 81-69 Win Over Troy
11/14/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2013
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By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ----- UAB men’s basketball head coach Jerod Haase glanced at the box score when asked about C.J. Washington’s role in the Blazers’ 81-69 non-conference victory over Troy on Thursday night at Bartow Arena.
Obviously, the UAB head coach liked what he saw, but he also got a little bit greedy.
“If you shoot the percentage he shot today – 11 out of 14 – as a coach I need to find a way to get him more shots,” said Haase, whose team improved to 3-0 on the young season. “When the ball is in his hands, usually good things are happening.”
Plenty of good things certainly happened on Thursday when the 6-foot-8, 219-pound junior college transfer had the ball on the offensive end. He scored 10 points before the game was seven minutes old, including two of his 3-pointers, and finished with a career-high 25 points.
All of that was basically just part of his pregame plan.
“Warming up, I just had the mindset that I have to come out and do what I have to do for my team to win,” said Washington, who is now averaging 20 points and eight rebounds per game. “I just came out, shot everything with confidence and treated it like everything was going to go in.”
While it’s easy to focus on what he did for the Blazers on offense, that was just part of his contribution against the Trojans (1-2). He also had 10 rebounds, an assist, a blocked shot and a steal. It was his second consecutive game with a double-double.
“Night in and night out, he gives it to us on the offensive end and defensive end,” said senior guard Robert Williams. “He chases down (balls), blocks shots. He’s a real good player, real talented. He brings a lot to this team.”
Washington sparked the quick start for UAB on Thursday night. His 10 consecutive points helped UAB build a 26-6 lead with less than 10 minutes eclipsed from the clock. But the Blazers’ momentum stopped about that point.
“I think we came out with a good mindset of trying to execute and we were pretty crisp offensively,” said Haase. “Making shots helped, I understand that, and then we just slipped into a passive game. We shot some shots we probably shouldn’t have shot and thought it was going to be easy. You can’t just turn it on and off. Hopefully, guys learned that after this game.”
Troy eventually pulled within six points – at 36-30 – after scoring 10 consecutive points late in the first half. Washington ended the run on a tip-in with 1:26 left and Denzell Watts hit a running 10-foot jumper with just under a minute left that gave the Blazers a 10-point advantage at halftime.
UAB led by as many as 17 points in the second half but still had trouble with consistency.
“We weren’t as crisp offensively, not getting the same shots we got earlier,” said Haase, whose team shot 53.6 percent from the field in the first half and 46.9 percent in the second half. “Maybe we were taking (shots) a little early. We talked about getting the ball inside and we take quick shots really for no reason than just because. Defensively, it was just mental lapses.”
It helped, though, that UAB continued its’ rebounding after whipping Rutgers on the boards on Monday. The Blazers outrebounded Troy, 53-24, with 14 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points. Over the last 80 minutes, UAB outrebounded its opponents, 107-51.
“Every night should be a big night for us on the boards because we’re so big (in the frontcourt),” Washington said. “All of us should have eight-plus rebounds every night.”
UAB had four players in double figures with Williams adding 12 points and eight rebounds, Fahro Alihodzic chipping in with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Chad Frazier adding 10 points and seven assists. Kevin Thomas led Troy with 19 points and seven rebounds.
