The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
-153, 50 CUSA
Charlotte
-413, 14 CUSA
Brown's Clutch Basket Lifts UAB over Charlotte
1/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score (PDF)
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fantastic finishes are that much more fantastic for the team that finishes on top. With that criteria, the UAB men’s basketball team finished off a sterling road trip by knocking off Charlotte, 74-72, in a Conference USA game with Robert Brown’s running 12-footer providing the winning points with 3.5 seconds remaining at Hatton Arena.
“It’s just a whirlwind of emotions right now,” said UAB head coach Jerod Haase. “It’s certainly a great feeling. Mistakes were made, certainly, but it was just a unique game.”
Actually, it was similar to Thursday when Old Dominion used a 13-0 run late in the game to force overtime against visiting UAB. But the Blazers found a way to win in overtime on a follow shot by Nick Norton with just under three seconds left. This time, Charlotte used a 10-0 run in the final three minutes, but UAB (15-3 overall, 5-0 C-USA) made the final play to emerge with the Blazers 12th successive win.
“We missed some chippies, they got some good baskets, we made some defensive errors,” said Haase, whose team led for 35 minutes and 47 seconds of the 40-minute game. “There is a lot to talk about but, bottom line is, we hung tough, we grinded, a little bit like the Old Dominion game. When you get it done in the end, it means something. It talks about character and toughness of the kids, and guys are able to make plays.”
Brown had a chance to win the game in regulation against Old Dominion, but missed a contested jumper. This time, he dribbled to the right side and threw up a contested floater that hit nothing but net.
“One for two – on game winners – isn’t bad, as long as we came out 2-0 on this road trip,” Brown said.
Once again, the heroes were plentiful for the Blazers, and the box score is not needed to identify all of them. Hakeem Baxter, for example, finished with just two points, but it was his offensive rebound in traffic that allowed UAB to retain possession with 17 seconds and set up the final sequence.
“That was a winning play,” Haase said. “Obviously, Robert Brown making the shot was a winning play, but that offensive rebound was fantastic.”
Early on, just like on Thursday, it looked like UAB would run away. William Lee was tremendous in the first half – contributing 11 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a steal – to lead the Blazers to a 46-33 halftime lead. Brown also started quickly with 13 first-half points, including a 3-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer.
Part of the reason that UAB had the first half success was they kept 6-foot-10, 265-pound center Joseph Uchebo from making an impact. Uchebo had a rather quiet four points and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes. However, the Blazers didn’t have similar success in the second half. Uchebo had nine points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal after halftime.
Charlotte (4-13 overall, 1-4 C-USA) also rode the hot shooting of freshman Curran Scott, who finished with 30 points.
It still took some time for Charlotte to chip away at the lead. UAB actually took its largest lead – 57-41 – on a short jumper by Dirk Williams with 15:32 remaining. Nothing came easy for the Blazers after that point, even though the lead was still double digits – 72-62 – with 3:16 left following a dunk by Chris Cokley after a nice feed from Brown.
“Coach was telling us in the locker room that we need to go for the jugular and end games, especially on the road,” Brown said. “It’s hard to get road wins. Not letting them come back and finishing them off is what we need to work on.”
Curran had five of Charlotte’s 10 points during the run that tied the score at 72. Charlotte also had a key offensive rebound on a free throw miss that helped the 49ers score five points without losing possession. In the end, though, UAB made one more play.
Balanced production was one of the key factors for UAB. Brown had a team-best 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Williams had 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and six rebounds. Cokley added 14 points, and Lee finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.
UAB now turns its attention toward attempting to extend its Bartow Arena winning streak to a record 20 games. The Blazers are asking for fans to celebrate a Gold Rush by wearing gold when Rice comes to town for a Conference USA game that is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. on Thursday.
“It will be awesome,” Haase said. “The students are in town. We’ll do everything we can to get them out. Everybody in Birmingham, we’re going to try to get out there as well and turn that into a fantastic environment.”
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are 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).
