The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Illinois State Capitalizes On UAB's Slow Start
12/7/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Take away some early offensive sloppiness and UAB took a positive step forward attacking a zone defense during Sunday’s 78-74 loss to Illinois State at Bartow Arena.
The Blazers turned the ball over often early in the game but settled down to have success against the zone defense played by the Redbirds. UAB shot 50.9 percent overall and, largely thanks to Robert Brown, also hit 50 percent from outside the 3-point stripe.
Brown was 7-of-9 on 3-pointers on his way to a career high 27 points. His seven 3-pointers were the most by a UAB players since Jamarr Sanders hit eight in a win over Rice on Feb. 12, 2011 and just two short of Robert Vaden’s school record set on Feb. 27, 2008.
But Brown was just the start – albeit a very good one – to the good things UAB did against the zone.
“Robert Brown, him making shots today was a big key,” Haase said. “But I did like the way we were moving the basketball. The progress we’ve made with our zone offense, from the beginning of the year to now, is really, really good. We obviously need to continue to improve in other areas. If we do so, I still think we’re going to be a really, really good team. I want to do it on my timeline, not their timeline.”
*Brown was the lone UAB player in double figures but seven of the nine Blazers who saw action scored. Tosin Mehinti finished with nine points and Hakeem Baxter had eight points.
*Freshman William Lee had his most productive game in a UAB uniform. He played a season-high 18 minutes, contributing seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
*The Blazers shot better than 50 percent from the field for the first time this season. The previous best was the 47.5 percent the Blazers hit in a win over Young Harris College. UAB failed to break 40 percent in five of the past six games.
UAB made 50 percent on 3-pointers in the game, marking its best 3-point shooting game since shooting 56.3 percent in a win over Marshall on Feb. 9, 2013.
