The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
5-3
Illinois State
3-6
Second Half Surge Lifts UAB over Illinois State
12/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score (PDF)
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
NORMAL, Ill. -- Coaches are fond of saying that it takes two halves to win a game. While that may be true most of the time, it was the final 20 minutes that led the UAB men's basketball team to an impressive 74-61 road win over Illinois State on Saturday at Redbird Arena.
The Blazers, who trailed by one at halftime, dominated on both ends of the floor in the second half and won going against an Illinois State team that pushed Maryland and Kentucky in its two previous games. UAB, which is now 2-1 in true road games this season, turned a tense game into a blowout in the second half.
UAB (5-3) made 17-of-30 shots overall from the field in the second half, including 7-of-12 from outside the 3-point arc.
"I almost felt like I had to make sure there was a pulse with the guys," said UAB coach Jerod Haase on his postgame radio appearance with David Crane. "We were down 10 (in the first half) and there was certainly no look of panic. It was that look of `We know we can get back in this thing, we just need to play better.'"
The Blazers certainly did that in the second half.
Sophomore forward Chris Cokley got UAB started in the second half, scoring eight consecutive Blazer points, before Nick Norton's 3-pointer from the left wing gave UAB its first lead of the night. Illinois State (3-6) countered with a bucket -- tying the game at 39 -- with just over 14 minutes remaining. UAB dominated the rest of the way.
The Blazers began a 17-4 run on a three-point play by William Lee. Dirk Williams had five points in the run, including one of his four 3-pointers. Not much later, UAB followed that stretch with three consecutive 3-pointers -- two from Denzell Watts and another from William Lee -- to build a lead that stretched to 22 points.
Another big part of the second half success was a 2-3 zone defense that Haase had his team use in the second half. Illinois State, which had success driving the ball against UAB's man-to-man defense in the first half, started firing up 3-pointers with little success. The Redbirds were 2-of-15 on 3-pointers after halftime with both of the made 3-pointers coming long after the game was decided.
"The zone certainly helped," Haase said. "They came out against our man and drove the basketball like we knew they would. We couldn't guard the ball. We did a much better job in a lot of ways but one of the things was guarding the ball in the zone throughout the night."
Once again, Cokley led the team in scoring with 20 points, and he added four rebounds and a steal. But it was definitely a team effort. Williams had a season-high 16 points with the highlight coming from outside the 3-point stripe.
"It felt good," Williams said of his 3-point shooting. "I needed to bounce back from last game. I didn't hit any shots. When I saw the first one go in, I said `Yeah, it's going to be a good night."
Lee added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal for the Blazers. Tosin Mehinti, who missed Tuesday's win over Georgia State because of an ankle injury, had six points, 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and four assists. The Blazers finished with 19 assists on 28 made baskets and outrebounded Illinois State, 39-35.
UAB will take a break from games to concentrate on final exams. The Blazers do not play again until Dec. 13 with Seattle coming to Bartow Arena.
UAB men's basketball home season tickets are on sale now and feature 14 regular season games. Lower level seats are in high demand and are priced at $215 per seat. UAB employee or active members of the National Alumni Society will receive a discounted price of $195. Upper level seats can be purchased for as low as $75. Click here to purchase your season tickets today, or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-8221.
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championship is set to return to Birmingham for the second consecutive year, marking the third time the Blazers will host the event. The men's tournament, as well as the women's semifinals and championship, will be played at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham, while the women's first round and quarterfinal action will take place at UAB's Bartow Arena.
For more information on UAB men's basketball, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_MBB), on Instagram (@blazerhoops) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/UABMensBasketball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
