UAB Drops Road Trip Finale at Marshall 84-81

Saturday, January 29

Huntington, W.Va.

6 p.m.

UAB

-175,72 CUSA

Marshall

-813,17 CUSA

UAB

Marshall

UAB Drops Road Trip Finale at Marshall 84-81

1/29/2022 9:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Blazers' slow start in the first half was too much to overcome as the UAB men's basketball team dropped a C-USA road contest 84-81 at Marshall on Saturday night at the Cam Henderson Center.

Despite owning a 14-4 advantage in points off turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, Marshall's advantage on the glass and 3-point shooting helped the Thundering Herd build a 41-30 lead at the halftime break. The Herd knocked down five 3-pointers in the first half compared to just one made triple from the Blazers.

In the second half, UAB trimmed the Thundering Herd's lead to four points at 48-44 behind a 3-pointer off the bench from Jamal Johnson. Johnson drilled a pair of 3-pointers off the bench early in the second half, cutting into Marshall's advantage early in the final 20 minutes.

Marshall (8-13, 1-7 C-USA), however, responded with six straight points to stretch the Herd's lead back out to double digits. UAB again cut Marshall's lead to two possessions when Justin Brown knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 59-53 with 9:04 remaining on the clock.

The Thundering Herd stretched their lead back to 81-70 with 2:18 remaining when Marshall's Mikel Beyers flushed home a dunk. The Blazers then countered Beyers' dunk with a 9-0 run, which included six straight free throws and a made 3-pointer from Jordan Walker cutting Marshall's lead to two points with 31 seconds remaining.

After UAB (17-5, 7-2 C-USA) and Marshall traded buckets in the paint, Beyers missed one of two from the foul line to give the Blazers a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds. Walker missed from behind the arc on the left wing before Johnson grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked out to Tony Toney for a potential game-tying look. Toney's last-second attempt, however, didn't fall as Marshall held on for the three-point victory.

Quan Jackson put together an efficient night offensively for the Blazers, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field to go along with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Walker led UAB with 23 points, extending his streak of performances with 20 or more points to six straight games.

KJ Buffen tied Jackson for the team lead in steals with three. He also rounded out the Blazers in double figures with 12 points.

UAB forced 18 Marshall turnovers in Saturday night's setback, turning those turnovers into 26 points. UAB also collected 12 steals in the contest, which is the ninth time this season the Blazers have recorded 12 or more in a game.

The Blazers' ability to turn Marshall over and their shooting from the foul line kept them within striking distance. UAB shot a season-best 94.4% from the foul line on Saturday, making 17 of their 18 attempts.

Marshall had four players, including Obinna Killen-Anochili, reach double figures. The Thundering Herd controlled the glass in Saturday's matchup, finishing the game with a 38-32 advantage.

The Blazers will return home Saturday for a matchup against Middle Tennessee in Bartow Arena. The matchup will mark UAB's "Bartow Classic" matchup, which honors UAB legend and former men's basketball coach/athletics director Gene Bartow.

MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets to any home basketball game during the 2021-22 season. Groups are encouraged to complete the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office for more information.