UAB Falls to No. 15 Saint Mary's

Sunday, November 27

Las Vegas, Nev.

4:00 PM

UAB

3-3

Saint Mary's

5-0

UAB

Saint Mary's

UAB Falls to No. 15 Saint Mary's

11/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Nov. 27, 2016

USATSI Gallery 

UAB vs. St. Mary's Box Score

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Once again, an early deficit against one of the country's top teams was ultimately too much to overcome for the UAB men's basketball team as the Blazers dropped a 76-63 decision to No. 15 ranked Saint Mary's on Sunday afternoon at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Saint Mary's (5-0 overall) led by as many as 17 points in the first half. UAB (3-3) made several runs at the Gaels - in both the first and second half - but couldn't quite pull off the comeback despite a marvelous offensive night by junior forward Chris Cokley.

"We're doing this a little too much," said UAB head coach Robert Ehsan, whose team also dropped into a double-digit first half hole in a loss earlier this season to No. 5 ranked Kansas. "We get down and then we start playing to our potential. We make some runs and then we have to fight back again. Against the best teams in the country, you can't do that."

The biggest problem on Sunday was that the Blazers allowed Saint Mary's to get into a rhythm from long range. The Gaels connected on 9-of-17 3-pointers in the first half and were 13-of-26 overall from long range.

"They made some 3s early, I thought that got them in a rhythm," Ehsan said. "Man, they shoot 17 3s in the first half and nine of them went it. They kind of spread the floor and they were able to get the big guy (Jock Landale) some touches inside. We couldn't get enough stops that we needed."

The Blazers fell behind 22-12, but clawed back in the game with seven consecutive points. Cokley's layup cut the deficit to 22-19 but the Gaels dominated the remainder of the half. Stefan Gonzalez's 3-pointer with five seconds left in the half gave Saint Mary's a 43-27 halftime lead.

"I think we picked up the intensity (in the second half)," Ehsan said. "The guys in the locker room, they were upset with how they played. They wanted to come out and play more aggressive and they did. We bothered them a little bit with our length, that was a time when we got some turnovers and created some easy baskets."

Cokley and Deion Lavender combined for all of the Blazers' points in a 9-3 run to begin the second half. The Blazers cut the deficit to under double digits - at 48-39 - on a 3-pointer by William Lee and the lead was whittled down to 50-43 with 14:33 left after a short Cokley jumper and two free throws by Dirk Williams.

However, Saint Mary's calmly answered with an 11-1 run that featured a trio of successful 3-pointers.

The Blazers refused to go away. UAB managed to crawl back within single digits on three occasions in the final six minutes. Denzell Watts had a big hand in this, scoring 8 of the team's 10 points during one stretch. But Saint Mary's was able to make the shots needed down the stretch to remain unbeaten.

Cokley led the Blazers with 20 points, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the field, to go along with five rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal.

"Chris was good," Ehsan said. "We got him the ball and he got in a rhythm offensively. He's been playing like this the last couple of games. We probably need to get him some more shots, to be honest with you. He was working in there, using his athleticism, using his quickness around the rim."

Lavender was the only other double figure scorer for the Blazers. He had 10 points and four assists.

The Blazers return home for a big week with a pair of games against instate opponents. Alabama A&M visits Bartow Arena on Tuesday night and Auburn comes to town on Saturday.

"We're got to have to get refreshed a little bit, get a little better and get ready for Alabama A&M," Ehsan said. "They will provide a good test for us. But it will be good to get back in Bartow for two games this week, which I know we're looking forward to."