The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
NOTEBOOK: Free Throw Line The Difference Vs. UTEP
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO, TEXAS – There wasn’t just one thing that was costly for UAB in the Blazers’ 71-69 Conference USA loss to UTEP on Thursday night at the Don Haskins Center. But one thing that jumps out quickly in the box score comes at the free throw line.
UTEP attempted 33 free throws and made 21 of those attempts. UAB was 4-of-5 from the free throw line with only two attempts coming in the second half. Part of the discrepancy came because UAB was intentionally fouling in the final 1:30 of the game. The Miners shot 10 free throws in the final 1:23.
UTEP was whistled for just nine fouls and UAB never was in the bonus. UAB was whistled for 25 fouls.
“When you have 28 fewer free throw attempts in a game, that usually spells disaster,” said UAB head coach Jerod Haase.
*UTEP forward Vince Hunter got the bulk of the free throw attempts in the game. The physical 6-foot-8, 205-pound sophomore from Detroit converted 12-of-16 free throw attempts in the game. He finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in the game.
The only time that UAB slowed down Hunter was when he encountered foul trouble himself. He drew his fourth foul with 17:07 left in the game and sat out nearly eight minutes. But he managed to play the final 9:09 with drawing his fifth foul.
*UTEP outrebounded UAB, 37-32, marking the first time in six games that the Blazers lost the battle on the boards. The last time UAB was outrebounded came in the C-USA opener when Middle Tennessee outrebounded the Blazers, 36-32.
UAB had 10 offensive rebounds against the Miners in Thursday’s first half but managed just one after halftime.
Tosin Mehinti had a team-best eight rebounds with seven of those coming in the first half.
*UAB had a chance to move in to a first place tie in C-USA play with Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky with a win on Thursday night. But the Blazers settled for a third place spot all alone after losing. UAB is one game behind the leaders and a game ahead of UTEP, Old Dominion and Middle Tennessee.
*The Blazers stay on the road for a 2 p.m. game against Texas San Antonio on Saturday at 2 p.m.
“Our game at Lousiana Tech had some similarities to this probably and we were able to bounce back,” said Haase, whose team won at Southern Miss after the Louisiana Tech loss. “I challenged the team in the locker room that we have to do that again. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to go back and compete as hard as we can against a really good San Antonio team.”
