The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
14-3, 4-0(c-usa)
Old Dominion
9-8, 2-2(c-usa)
UAB Tops Old Dominion in Overtime Thriller
1/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats | Box Score (PDF)
By Steve Irvine, UABSports.com
NORFOLK, Va. - William Lee carried UAB throughout a pulsating overtime session on Thursday night on the road against an Old Dominion team that is unaccustomed to losing at the Ted Constant Center. Lee wasn't perfect, though, but as has become customary for a UAB team built on balance, someone else stepped up when needed in the 72-71 overtime victory for the Blazers.
The hero - at least the final one on a night when UAB snapped Old Dominion's 32-game home winning streak - was sophomore point guard Nick Norton. It was the 5-foot-10 Norton sneaking in, grabbing an offensive rebound after Lee's 3-point attempt spun out of the basket and turning it into the go-ahead points with 2.3 seconds left. The best ODU could do afterward was manage a half-court shot by Trey Freeman. When Freeman's shot caromed wide, the Blazers celebrated their 11th consecutive victory and snapped the Monarchs' domination at home.
"It was a heckuva locker room afterward, and I couldn't be more excited for our guys," said UAB head coach Jerod Haase. "To be the team that broke that win streak really made us feel good."
Credit for the win needs to be spread out in a lot of different ways, beginning with Lee's contribution. The 6-foot-9 sophomore had a career-high 28 points while adding seven rebounds, four blocked shots and an assist. He was 8-of-12 overall from the field, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, 7-of-8 from the free throw line and turned the ball over just once in 31 minutes. He scored 10 of the Blazers' 15 points in the five-minute overtime session.
"Wow," Haase said. "Big shots, big shots. Defensively, you look at those four blocks, but he impacted so many other shots. His activity level is increasing on the defensive end, and needless to say, 8-of-12 from the field and 28 points is strong."
Lee hit 3-pointers on back-to-back overtime possessions in the final 1:20, each time erasing an Old Dominion lead. For a while, though, it did not look like any late game heroics would be needed.
The Blazers controlled most of the first half despite struggling to get untracked early. UAB carried a 34-25 lead into halftime, behind a combined 18 points from Lee and Robert Brown and six points each by Dirk Williams and Lewis Sullivan. But inability to keep ODU off the offensive board and subpar foul shooting had the Blazers on edge.
"We were excited but halftime, it was absolutely the mindset of we know it's going to be a grind," said Haase, whose team had a 43-19 advantage in bench points and dished out 19 assists. "We knew it was going to be tough as heck to be able to do this."
For a good portion of the second half, though, it did not look that tough. UAB (14-3 overall, 4-0 C-USA) extended the lead to double digits twice in the second half, including taking a 53-42 on a 3-pointer by Lee with 6:44 remaining. However, that's when things began falling apart.
Old Dominion (9-8, 2-2) used the shooting of Trey Freeman, who had 12 of his 28 points in the final 5:43 of regulation, and offensive rebounding to string together a 13-0 run. The final points of the run came on a 17-foot jumper by Freeman to give the Monarchs a 55-53 lead with 2:17 left.
Norton got things back under control for UAB not long afterward by stealing a pass, racing to the other end and feeding Hakeem Baxter for the tying layup with 1:41 remaining.
"Nick Norton, talk about a heady kid," Haase said of his starting point guard, who had five assists, three rebounds, two steals and just one turnover. "We can write a book or make a video of winning plays by Nick Norton. He just has the guts and the instincts. It's not anything I'm doing. He's just a tough kid."
Nearly a minute later, Brown hit a contested 10-footer to give UAB a 57-55 lead. Old Dominion tied the score on a follow shot by Denzell Taylor with 21.3 seconds left, and Brown's shot missed at the other end to send the game into overtime.
Neither team led by more than two points in the overtime period. Lee hit the big shots for the Blazers, but everyone stepped up with key contributions. On the other end, Aaron Bacote and Freeman made big offensive plays, and Ahmad Caver gave ODU a 71-70 lead on a mid-range jumper with nine second remaining.
But it was Norton, who made just one field goal in the game, making the final big play on a night filled with big plays.
"Nick's job 99.99 percent of the time is to get back on defense," Haase said. "If he ever goes to the offensive rebound, I chew him out. But, in an end of the game situation, with three seconds left on the clock, I'm all for him going to the offensive board. That's just him, his knack, his feel, his winning mentality."
The Conference USA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are 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).
