The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Chattanooga
UAB Falls On The Road, 83-67, To Chattanooga
12/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats (PDF)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - UAB's men's basketball team fell behind early and never recovered in a 83-67 loss to Chattanooga on Monday at UTC's McKenzie Arena.
UAB (4-8) was paced by Robert Brown's 19 points -- his eighth game in double figures this season. Hakeem Baxter had 15 and Nick Norton added 12.
Chattanooga jumped out to a 46-25 halftime lead thanks to a strong 3-point shooting effort in the first half. The Mocs were 5-for-10 from 3-point range and were led by guard Ronrico White, who hit 3-for-5 from behind the arc in the opening period.
UAB could not overcome a poor shooting performance in the first 20 minutes. The Blazers hit just 9-of-31 (29 percent) from the field.
Blazer head coach Jerod Haase started the second half with a completely new starting five with guard Hakeem Baxter, guard Jarvis Calhoun, guard Lionel Love, guard Denzel Collins and forward Lewis Sullivan all starting the final period for UAB.
"I think those guys came out and played hard and really set the tone for the second half," Haase said. "We are trying to build something here, and I believe in what we are doing. It has to be something our guys believe in too. That's my job as their coach."
UAB cut its deficit to nine with 6:31 remaining after a three-point play by Norton, but Chattanooga's Greg Pryor made four consecutive free throws and the Mocs kept UAB at arm's length the rest of the way, despite the Blazers outscoring Chattanooga, 42-37, in the final period.
The Blazers will travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT in a game that will be televised on ESPN2. For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter @UAB_MBB.
