The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Butler
Blazers Drop Close One To No. 25 Butler
12/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Freshman Shelvin Mack made five 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of the second half to match his career high of 22 points and rally No. 25 Butler from an 11-point deficit to a 72-68 victory over UAB on Tuesday night.
It was the first time the young Bulldogs (11-1) played since moving into the Top 25 on Monday.
"I thought our guys fought really hard the entire game and that is something I am happy with," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "I think Butler is a very, very good basketball team. It was a tough atmosphere to play in. We have got to do a better job of playing through adversity, but I think this is something we can build on."
Robert Vaden, an Indianapolis native and former player at Indiana University, led the Blazers (8-5) with 23 points and Paul Delaney III added 19.
UAB coach Mike Davis made his first appearance in Indiana since resigning as coach of the Hoosiers after the 2005-06 season and the homecoming started well as the Bulldogs spent 20 minutes looking more like impostors than a ranked team.
"It was great to get back to Indiana," Davis said. "I even had a few people come up to me and told me 'welcome home' which was something I didn't expect. I have always appreciated the basketball fans in the state of Indiana. They are some of the most knowledgeable fans in the country and it was great to be back."
UAB was whistled for 25 fouls in the contest, compared to only 14 on Butler. That resulted in a huge discrepency from the foul line. UAB converted all seven of its free throws in the game, while Butler connected on 22-of-31 foul shots in the contest, including 18-of-24 in the second half.
The Bulldogs finished shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and hit 10-of-20 three-point attemps. The Blazers shot 44.8 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The Blazers dominated the opening 20 minutes, taking control midway through the period. With UAB clinging to a two-point lead, 26-24, with 6:01 remaining before intermission, the Blazers used a 12-1 run to take its largest lead of 38-25 with 49 second remaining before the half.
The Bulldogs also committed 10 turnovers in the first 20 minutes, after averaging only 11.6 in their first 11 games. UAB converted those miscues into 16 points, helping it to a 38-27 halftime lead.
However, Mack started the comeback by hitting consecutive three and two free throws in the first three minutes of the second half to get Butler within 40-37.
Less than two minutes later, Mack hit two 3s in seven seconds to give Butler a 43-42 lead and then broke a 45-45 tie with yet another 3 with 13:09 to go.
The fifth 3 ignited Butler's 12-2 run that ended with the Bulldogs going 3-of-4 from the free throw line, which gave Butler a 62-51 lead.
Vaden scored four points in a 9-0 run and his fourth three-pointer got the Blazers within 64-63 with 3:52 to go. But the Blazers couldn't convert any of their chances to take the lead and the Bulldogs sealed it with Matt Howard's layup and six free throws in the final minute. Howard finished with 19 points.
The game featured seven lead changes and three ties.
UAB will try and snap its two-game losing streak when the Blazers take on Savannah State on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m. at Bartow Arena. The contest will air live on the Blazers ISP Radio Network, WUHT 107.7 FM, with the pregame show beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT.
