The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
3-2
Illinois
3-3
Illinois Downs UAB at Emerald Coast Classic
11/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
Box Score (PDF)
NICEVILLE, Fla. - UAB men's basketball coach Jerod Haase shook up his team's starting lineup in an attempt to get more consistency out of his team during Friday night's matchup with Illinois in the 2015 Emerald Coast Classic semifinals at Northwest Florida State College.
However, it was the Illini playing with consistency on both ends of the floor to emerge with a 72-58 victory over the Blazers.
Afterward, a disappointed but determined Haase talked about the approach during his team's loss.
"The team is going to evolve," said Haase. "I do believe we are going to get to where we want to get to. You're starting to see minutes changing some. There will be an ebb and flow to the chemistry and cohesiveness on both ends of the floor. It's lacking right now. It's on my shoulders to figure it out."
UAB (3-2) began the game with regular starters William Lee, Robert Brown and Hakeem Baxter on the bench. Haase inserted Lewis Sullivan, Tyler Madison and Dirk Williams into the starting lineup, alongside regular starters Nick Norton and Tosin Mehinti.
"I thought those guys brought some pretty good energy at the start of both halves," Haase said. "I don't know if that impacted the game good or bad. We're certainly searching for a lot of things right now. Doing the status quo is probably not the most effective thing right now, so we need to continue to search and get better."
The teams had trouble pulling away from each other until Illinois (3-3) strung together a 9-0 run that began with about nine minutes left in the first half. The burst began with UAB holding a 16-14 advantage and didn't end until Lee hit a 3-pointer with just under four minutes remaining in the half to cut the Illinois lead to 23-19. The Blazers trimmed the lead to two points twice in the final three minutes of the half, but the Illini carried momentum into halftime on a late 3-pointer by Jalen Coleman-Lands.
What troubled Haase most in the first half was the 11 turnovers committed by his team.
In the second half, though, the Blazers took better care of the basketball with only five turnovers. But they had trouble on defense. Illinois, which was at full strength for the first time this season, shot 61.5 percent from the field, including hitting 3-of-5 3-pointers in the second half.
"I think we need to look at it from the standpoint that we have to make it more difficult for them," Haase said of the defensive woes. "The shots weren't challenged enough."
Illinois scored the first five points of the second half and went on a 14-4 run over the first five minutes to take a 42-27 lead. However, UAB started chipping away at the lead. It began with back-to-back 3-pointers by Norton and Brown to trim the deficit under double digits. However, Illinois answered with the next five points to take control once again.
The Blazers never got the lead back under double digits but kept playing hard to the end. Chris Cokley and Brown each scored 13 points to share team-high honors for the Blazers. Cokley added six rebounds and Lee chipped in with eight points, seven rebounds and three of the team's seven blocked shots.
Haase quickly turned his attention to Saturday's game against Virginia Tech, which fell to Iowa State in the first semifinal. The teams will play for third place with the opening tip scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
UAB men's basketball home season tickets are on sale now and feature 14 regular season games. Lower level seats are in high demand and are priced at $215 per seat. UAB employee or active members of the National Alumni Society will receive a discounted price of $195. Upper level seats can be purchased for as low as $75. Click here to purchase your season tickets today, or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-8221.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championship is set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
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).
