The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
1-1
Alabama State
1-1
Men's Hoops Top Alabama State in Home Opener
11/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2015
Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Quotes
By Steve Irvine:
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB junior guard Hakeem Baxter turned a mistake into a winning play on Monday night in the Blazers' 72-70 regular season home opener against Alabama State. And he used pure effort as his winning formula.
A defensive lapse allowed Alabama State guard Jamel Waters to sneak behind Baxter. Waters appeared on his way toward the tying basket with the clock nearing zero. Baxter not only refused to give up, but he swatted Waters' layup attempt away and the Blazers emerged with a hard fought victory over the Hornets before a spirited Bartow Arena crowd of 4,833.
"He made a heckuva play," said UAB head coach Jerod Haase. "One thing we talked about last year and this year was the idea of making winning plays. Those come in a lot of different shapes and sizes and it can come from anybody. That was absolutely a winning play."
UAB teammate Chris Cokley said he wasn't surprised that the 6-foot-2, 192-pound Baxter, who is probably the team's best perimeter defender, was able to make the athletic play to preserve the win.
"Hakeem just came out of nowhere to make the block," Cokley said. "Most people don't know about Hakeem, (he) has a lot of bounce. He can jump pretty high. We call him `Old Knees' because sometimes he doesn't just do it all the time, but he can jump pretty high."
Baxter's play came immediately after UAB senior Robert Brown provided the winning points with a pair of clutch free throws with 3.5 seconds on the clock. Alabama State quickly inbounded the ball and got the quality opportunity but UAB held on.
The ending was probably fitting on a night that the Blazers struggled to break away from an Alabama State team that was coming off a road victory over Virginia Tech of the ACC. The Blazers (1-1) fell behind by seven points early in the game but built a lead that stretched to as many as nine points before halftime. UAB led, 37-30, at halftime.
The second half was a grind for both teams. UAB didn't shoot well from the free throw line - hitting 27-of-42 during the game - but the Blazers rode Cokley down the stretch. The 6-foot-8, 241-pound Cokley, who had 25 points against Auburn, started slowly on Monday night, but took over down the stretch. He finished with 16 points, on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 from the line, and had his second consecutive double-double after adding 11 rebounds.
"He was huge," Haase said of Cokley. "We feel very, very confident in getting him the basketball. We have a variety of plays we can do it. Certainly the team and I have confidence in his ability."
Neither team led by more than five points in the second half until Cokley's layup with 1:16 remaining gave the Blazers a 70-64 advantage. However, the Hornets scored five consecutive points, including a trio of free throws by Torloft Thomas with 9.6 seconds remaining. But the Blazers made the clutch plays down the stretch.
Afterward, Haase tipped his cap to the efforts of the UAB student section.
"The student section was absolutely phenomenal," Haase said. "It was almost 1,500 students here tonight. There are a lot of groups around campus, a lot of individuals who are worthy of thanks. It's a big deal."
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), on Instagram (@blazerhoops) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABMensBasketball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
