Strong Second Half Leads UAB to Huge 77-72 Road Win at Saint Louis

Saturday, December 4

St. Louis, Mo.

5:30 p.m.

UAB

-72,00 CUSA

Saint Louis

7-2,0-0Atlantic 10

UAB

Saint Louis

Photo by: Nick Rettig

Strong Second Half Leads UAB to Huge 77-72 Road Win at Saint Louis

12/4/2021 9:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

ST. LOUIS – The UAB men's basketball team erased a seven-point halftime deficit to earn a clutch 77-72 road victory at Saint Louis on Saturday night at the Chaifetz Arena.

After giving up 48 points in the first half, the UAB defense clamped down on the Billkens in the final 20 minutes, limiting Saint Louis (7-2) to 24 points on 36.4% shooting in the second half. The Blazers outscored the Billikens 36-24 in the second half and allowed Saint Louis to shoot just 11.1% (1-for-9) from behind the 3-point line.

UAB's win not only moved the Blazers to 7-2, but it also marked the Blazers' first win on the road over a top-100 KenPom nonconference opponent since a win at Arizona on Nov. 18, 2008. The comeback victory also marked the first time the Blazers have overcome a halftime deficit of more than five points since a win over Middle Tennessee on Jan. 3, 2016.

"It shows what we're capable of if we take the right approach," head coach Andy Kennedy said. "I thought we were competitive, we were gritty and we made the plays we needed to make."

With Saint Louis holding a 48-41 lead entering the second half, UAB opened the second stanza strong with five straight points to force a Billikens' timeout. Josh LeBlanc, Sr. finished an alley-oop for the half's first points before Jordan Walker dropped in one of his four 3-pointers of the game to trim the deficit to two.

The Blazers and Billkens traded buckets until UAB took its first lead of the second half when Tavin Lovan drove down the lane for a contested layup to make it 61-60 Blazers with 9:46 remaining. Saint Louis responded with a 3-pointer, but the Blazers again answered with one of graduate guard Michael Ertel's three 3-pointers of the second half to take a 64-63 lead with 7:08 left on the clock.

Ertel then drained another 3-pointer just over a minute later to give UAB its largest lead of the game at that point at 69-65. The Indianapolis, Indiana native caught fire in the second half, scoring 12 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes to lead the Blazers in scoring in the final half. A second-chance slam from Trey Jemison followed by Ertel's triple kickstarted a critical 8-0 UAB run, turning a 65-64 deficit into a 72-65 advantage in just 1:04 of play.

Ertel also served as the closer in the victory, knocking down a baseline jumper with 27 seconds remaining to stretch a 74-72 lead to a 76-72 advantage off an inbounds play with less than 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock. A strong defensive rebound from Lovan, who finished the game with five points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes of play, then helped seal the UAB victory.

"I couldn't be prouder of Mike," Kennedy said. "There's not a harder worker in our program.

"It's so rewarding to see him get rewarded for the work and knock down huge shots."

UAB dominated the Billikens in second-chance points, outscoring Saint Louis 17-6 in the category. The Blazers pulled down 15 offensive rebounds in the victory, which was triple the number of the home team's five offensive boards.

The Blazers' second-half surge helped slow down an offensive track meet in the first 20 minutes when the Billikens shot 59.3% from the field and 70% (7-for-10) from behind the arc to build a first-half lead. Walker (13) and forward KJ Buffen (10) helped the Blazers keep pace by each reaching double figures in the game's first half. UAB shot 54.8% from the field and 41.7% (5-for-12) from behind the 3-point line in the first half.

Jemison pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to post his fourth double-digit rebound tally of the season. Five of Jemison's 11 boards came off the offensive glass, helping the Blazers assert their dominance in second-chance opportunities.

UAB's victory snapped Saint Louis' four-game winning streak and handed the Billikens their first loss at Chaifetz Arena this season. The Blazers have now won four straight games against the former Great Midwest Conference and Conference USA foe, holding an 18-7 lead in the all-time series history.

The Blazers will return home to Bartow Arena for a matchup against Millsaps on Sunday, Dec. 12. Next Sunday's matchup against the Majors will tip off at 2 p.m. and will stream live on CUSA.tv.

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