Blazers Hold Off Privateers for 75-68 Victory

Wednesday, November 14

Bartow Arena

7 p.m.

UAB

2-0

New Orleans

2-2

New Orleans

UAB

Blazers Hold Off Privateers for 75-68 Victory

11/14/2018 10:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BIRMINGHAM – UAB played to its strong suits on Wednesday night, using its tenacious defense and dominant rebounding ability to hold off a pesky New Orleans comeback attempt late in the second half and secure a 75-68 victory in Bartow Arena.

The Blazers forced 17 turnovers by the Privateers which was turned into 31 points on the offensive side of the court, while the Green and Gold outrebounded the visitors, 37-32, to aid in the win.

"I think some of our new guys and some of our older players are doing very well and growing and getting better," head coach Robert Ehsan said. "I think offensively, we are starting to see some confidence growing amongst the guys. I thought we made some really good offensive plays. Rebounding is going to be big for us and I think we did a good job of rebounding the basketball. That was probably the difference tonight."

UAB (2-0) saw four players score in double figures for the second-straight game, led by sophomore Zack Bryant's 19-point outing on 7-of-16 shooting. Tavin Lovan and Jalen Perry each contributed 13 points, while senior Lewis Sullivan recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Junior Will Butler was right on the cusp of a double-double of his own with seven points and nine boards, both career highs. Newcomer Tyreek Scott-Grayson added seven points as well.

Bryant was the offensive catalyst early in the first half, scoring six of UAB's eight points in the opening five minutes of play to put UAB ahead 8-6. New Orleans began to get things going over the next eight minutes of play when a 3-pointer by Ezekiel Charles gave the Privateers a 20-15 advantage at the 7:28 mark.

Needing to swing the momentum back in its favor, UAB mounted a 9-2 run over the next two minutes that was capped by a long-range effort by Perry to put the Blazers ahead, 26-24. It was all UAB from there on out in the opening stanza when a 9-0 run over the last 3:27 saw the Green and Gold take a 37-28 lead into the locker room.

It appeared the Blazers could not miss in the second half, with Sullivan and Lovan trading buckets before another big Perry 3-pointer saw UAB take its largest lead of the night at 52-34. Nearly everyone in the building had written the game off, but the visitors had other plans when they clawed their way back into the game and cut the lead to 60-57 at the 7:35 mark following a layup by Jahmel Myers.

With their backs against the wall, back-to-back layups from Sullivan and Lovan pushed the Blazer lead out to 64-57. However, New Orleans still did not go away and again cut into the lead, this time trailing 67-63 with 3:55 to play. Once again, back-to-back layups provided the key to victory for UAB and allowed it to solidify the 75-68 win.

The Blazers close out their three-game homestand on Sunday when they welcome in-state foe West Alabama to Bartow Arena. Tipoff between the Blazers and the Lions is slated for 4 p.m. on CUSA.tv.

Individual season tickets for the 2018-19 UAB men's basketball campaign are on sale and start as low as $105 in Blaze's Corner. New this season is the Family Four Pack which includes four season tickets for a total cost of $400 along with the Flex Pack for $125. Mini plans are also now available here. For more information, call the UAB Athletics ticket office at 205-975-UAB1.

For more information on the UAB men's basketball team follow the Blazers on Twitter and Instagram (@UAB_MBB).