UAB MBB Falls to San Diego State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

Friday, March 22

Spokane, Wash.

12:45 p.m.

UAB

23-12,12-6AAC

No. 5 San Diego State

25-10,11-7Mountain West

UAB

San Diego St.

UAB MBB Falls to San Diego State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

3/22/2024 4:55:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Press Conference

SPOKANE, Wash. – UAB men's basketball (23-12) fell to San Diego State (25-10) on Friday, 69-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Efrem "Butta" Johnson led UAB with 19 points and hit a career best five threes.

San Diego State never trailed in the first half. The Aztecs built their lead to as many as 11 points, but the Blazers responded late in the first half, cutting the SDSU lead to just six at halftime.

The Blazers faced foul trouble all night. Lendeborg and Coleman picked up three first half fouls while Javian Davis had four fouls after only two minutes of second half action.

UAB's limited frontcourt allowed All-American Jaedon Ledee to go to work. Ledee scored 18 of San Diego State's 35 points in the first half. The Aztecs led 35-29 at the break.

San Diego State extended its lead to 12 points at the 16:29 mark before an 8-0 run cut the deficit to just four. After back-to-back buckets by the Aztecs, Efrem "Butta" Johnson sparked an 11-0 run to give UAB its first lead of the night with less than 10 minutes remaining.

UAB could not get its lead to multiple possessions as SDSU continued to hit tough shots. Ledee and Butler hit a pair of tough midrange jumpers to put the Aztecs on top 61-58 with four minutes to go.

Eric Gaines tied it up at 62 with a driving layup at the 2:27 mark, giving the Blazers the momentum once again. It was short-lived, however, as a foul late in the shot clock put San Diego State on the line.

UAB had the ball trailing by three points with 20 seconds remaining, but the Blazers were unable to tie it up. The Aztecs were able to hit one free throw to put the game away at 69-65.

NOTES

The Blazers scored only 65 points, their lowest total since November 28.
UAB's 69 points allowed are the fewest in a loss since the NIT Championship game on March 30, 2023.
Efrem "Butta" Johnson scored 19 points while hitting a career high five threes.
Despite being in foul trouble for the entire game, Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Lendeborg finished with a UAB record 370 rebounds and 10.6 rebounds per game this season. He also finished with 72 blocks which ranks seventh in program history for a single season. His 156 free throws made this season rank fifth in UAB history for a single season.
Eric Gaines added 14 points and three assists.
Gaines' 191 assists this season rank fifth in UAB history for a single season. His 82 steals finished third for a single season in program history.
UAB made 622 free throws this season, which ranks second in program history, trailing only the 2022-23 season.
The Blazers' 1329 rebounds rank fifth for a single season in program history.

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