The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
18-11, 7-8
Louisiana Tech
24-6, 12-3
UAB Sees Three-Game Win Streak Snapped, 67-58
3/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2014
Final Box (PDF) | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The UAB men's basketball team saw its three-game win streak come to an end as the Blazers fell to Louisiana Tech, 67-58, on Sunday at Bartow Arena.
UAB, which is now 18-11 overall and 7-8 in Conference USA action, will return home to host Middle Tennessee on Thursday at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season. With the win, Louisiana Tech improves to 24-6 overall and 12-3 in league play.
"Our team is pretty well-defined at this point in a lot of ways," head coach Jerod Haase said. "We have some strengths that are very good. We rebound the basketball, we’re holding teams to a low percentage shooting, and we’re competing at a high level. Our deficiencies are glaring and those have to be corrected. Our ability to handle the basketball and shoot the basketball has been awfully tough on us. Our shooting percentages from the game were not very good, especially in the second half. We have to continue to play to our strengths, but correct our deficiencies.”
UAB came out strong and stayed ahead of LA Tech for the first five minutes of the game, building a slim 10-7 advantage at the 15:03 mark of the first half. Louisiana Tech’s Chris Anderson, who scored a game-high 14 points in the opening period, then knocked in a 3-point basket to tie the game up at 10-10.
Anderson's 3-pointer was the first of nine for Louisiana Tech in the opening stanza as the Bulldogs built as much as an 11-point lead, 42-31, with 3:03 on the first-half clock.
Louisiana Tech, which shot 50 percent (14-of-28) in the opening half, claimed a 44-36 halftime advantage despite 10 turnovers.
UAB guards Jordan Swing and Chad Frazier hit back-to-back baskets to cut Louisiana Tech’s lead to 44-40 to open the second half, but that would be as close as the Blazers could get until the 2:01 mark when LA Tech's advantage was cut to 58-54.
Louisiana Tech guard Alex Hamilton quickly gave the Bulldogs a sizable advantage as he hit a 3-point basket to put his team up seven, en route to the 67-58 win for the Bulldogs.
Blazers Fahro Alihodzic (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Rod Rucker (12 points, 12 rebounds) each finished with a double-double on the day. Louisiana Tech, which shot just 26.9 percent in the second half, was led by Chris Anderson's 20 points.
