UAB Overcomes Canisius, 68-58, in AdvoCare Invitational Finale

Sunday, November 25

C-USA Regular Season Champions

9:30 a.m.

UAB

4-2

Canisius

1-5

Canisius

UAB

UAB Overcomes Canisius, 68-58, in AdvoCare Invitational Finale

11/25/2018 1:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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ORLANDO – The UAB men's basketball team found itself trailing in double digits in the first half for the third-straight game, but a resilient second-half performance by the Blazers saw them end the AdvoCare Invitational on a high note when they defeated Canisius, 68-58, on Sunday morning in Orlando.

UAB's (4-2) victory snapped a six-game losing streak in November tournament contests and was its first win since defeating George Washington, 81-74, on Nov. 22, 2016, at the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.

"The thing that I was most impressed with is that we came back from down 15 points," head coach Robert Ehsan said. "We showed a lot of heart and fight today. Our team really grew up today. As a young team that has faced adversity in the last two days, to be down again and not quit showed the resiliency of our team. It was a good win for us."

Sophomore Zack Bryant was pivotal in the victory, netting a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while adding a career-best seven steals to accompany five rebounds and four assists. It was just the second time in the sophomore's career that he has eclipsed the 20-point mark, the first coming against Florida Atlantic on March 7, 2018, when he dropped 25 points in the C-USA Tournament.

Jeremiah Bell added a career-high 15 points on 66.7 percent (6-of-9) shooting from the field and Jalen Perry scored 11 points to round out UAB's double-figure performers. Will Butler also added solid minutes, scoring six points and pulling down seven rebounds, while Lewis Sullivan hauled in a game-high nine rebounds and matched a career high with three blocked shots.

Defensively, the Blazers held the Griffs to a 35.8 percent (19-of-53) clip from the field in the game and just 25.0 percent in the second half, the lowest percentage by a Blazer opponent in the second period this season. The Blazers' dominance on the glass continued, outrebounding the Griffs, 37-28, its fifth game this season in which they hauled in more rebound than their opponent.

Canisius (1-5), which was picked to finish second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in the league's preseason poll, was led by Takal Molson and Scott Hitchon, who scored 15 points and 13 points, respectively.

UAB got on the board early with the help of a Butler layup, but it was all Canisius over the next 10 minutes, using a 24-7 run to go ahead 24-9 and take what ended being its largest lead of the morning.

Facing that 15-point deficit, the Blazers mounted an impressive 22-7 run of its own to tie the game at 31-31 with 41 seconds in the half following a made jumper from Butler. However, Canisius's Malik Johnson scored four points in the final seven seconds of the half to snatch a 35-31 lead heading into halftime.

Needing a big response after the late momentum swing, the Blazers flipped the game with a 10-0 run out of the gate to take a 44-37 lead at the 16:40 with the help of five points from both Bryant and Perry.

UAB maintained a seven-point margin throughout the middle of the second half until a Molson 3-pointer and two made free throws from Jibreel Faulkner cut that advantage to 56-54 with 4:42 to play.

With the end of the game in sight and Canisius in a position to tie things up late, it was Bell who came up clutch, sinking a crucial 3-pointer with just over two minutes to play to push the lead to 61-56. The lead only grew from there, as the Blazers came away with points on its final five possessions to secure a 68-58 victory.

The Blazers return to the hardwood on Thursday, November 29, when they make the quick drive up I-65 for an in-state showdown with Alabama A&M at the Von Braun Civic Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m.

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).