The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulane
UAB Wins Fifth Straight, Tops Tulane, 76-70
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 18, 2009
Final Stats | UAB-Tulane box score (PDF)
NEW ORLEANS, La. - UAB used a 10-4 run over the final 4:19 to break a 66-66 tie and pull out a 76-70 come-from-behind win over Tulane on Wednesday night. The contest marked the fifth-straight win for the Blazers and the eighth victory over their last nine contests.
"I am really proud of our team for hanging in this game and pulling out a big win," UAB head coach Mike Davis said. "We did not do a good job on the boards in the first half and I thought Tulane really controlled play. But our guys really stepped up in the second half and fought hard to pull this one out."
UAB (18-8, 8-3 C-USA) captured its third consecutive win at Tulane's Fogelman Arena and fourth straight win in the series history. The last time the Blazers lost at Tulane came on Jan. 19, 2005.
The Blazers were led by senior guard/forward Robert Vaden, who had 17 points to lead four UAB players in double figures. Senior forward Lawrence Kinnard also continued his onslaught on Tulane with 15 points and 12 rebounds to mark his Conference USA-leading 12th double-double of the season and 19th of his career.
Senior guard Paul Delaney III also had 15 points and four assists, while guard Channing Toney chipped in with 14 points and seven boards in the win.
Tulane (10-15, 4-8) was led by junior Kevin Sims who had a game-high 20 points, while Robinson Louisme notched a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds
The Green Wave used an 11-0 run late in the opening half to take a commanding 35-24 lead with 3:13 remaining in the opening 20 minutes. But the Blazers answered with an 8-2 run of their own and cut Tulane's lead to 40-34 at the half.
UAB slowly began to whittle away at the Green Wave lead and eventually tied the game at 43 all with 16:42 remaining. Tulane would extend its lead to 57-52 with just over 12 minutes left, but the Blazers answered with a 6-0 run capped by a Delaney layup to take a 58-57 lead at the 9:50 mark.
UAB did most of its damage from the free-throw line from that point on, hitting 15-of-18 attempts. The Blazers would also hold the Green Wave to only three field goals in the final nine minutes en route to the win. UAB also out-rebounded Tulane in the second half, 20-8, and converted 20-of-27 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes.
The Blazers will put their five-game win streak on the line when they return home to begin a two-game homestand with a contest against Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon. The contest, which is set to tip at 1 p.m. CT, will be televised live to a national audience on CBS College Sports.
