The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Saturday, February 16
Bowling Green, Ky.
2 p.m.
UAB
16-11, 8-6
68
at
60
WKU
16-11, 9-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAB | 28 | 40 | 68 |
| WKU | 23 | 37 | 60 |
UAB Defeats WKU 68-60 to Earn Berth in C-USA Top Pod
2/16/2019 5:43:00β―PM | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. β The UAB men's basketball team led WKU for 39 minutes en route to a 68-60 victory over the Hilltoppers on Saturday Afternoon at Diddle Arena.
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The win, coupled with a North Texas loss, moved UAB into the top pod for Conference USA bonus play which begins next Saturday, Feb. 23. The Blazers will be the five-seed and are joined by Old Dominion, WKU, UTSA and Southern Miss in pod one.
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In a homecoming game for Tavin Lovan, the freshman had his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Zack Bryant led UAB with 24 points for his fifth 20+ point performance of the season, and Lewis Sullivan chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
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UAB (16-11, 8-6 C-USA) shot 46.9 percent from the floor (23-of-49) and 44.4 percent from behind the arc (8-of-18), while holding WKU to 37.5 percent. The HilltoppersΒ (16-11, 9-5 C-USA) were led by Charles Bassey with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, but the rest of WKU was 14-of-51 combined.
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The Blazers' defense was extremely disruptive in the first 10 minutes as WKU only made four of its first 20 shots. During the stretch, the Blazers used a 7-0 run to gain an 18-8 advantage at the under 8-media timeout.
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The Hilltoppers though, made their next four shots and used an 11-2 run to get with one (20-19) with 3:46 remaining in the half.
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Behind nine first half points for Bryant, the Blazers took a 28-23 lead into halftime. Lovan had six points and six rebounds and helped UAB shoot 46.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
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WKU shot 32 percent in the first half behind 6-of-8 shooting and 15 points from Bassey, but the rest of his team was 4-of-23, including 0-12 from long range. Β
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The Hilltoppers would get within one (33-32) with 13:41 left, but that's as close as they would get as UAB scored the next five points to extend the lead back to six.
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The Blazers gained a 41-32 advantage when Lovan hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 10:37 remaining, and the lead reached 14 (55-41) after a tip-in from Sullivan with 4:21 left.
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Sullivan's 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:25 left gave UAB a 62-49 advantage, but WKU made three 3-pointers in the final minute and continued to foul down the stretch. UAB went 6-for-10 at the line to keep WKU at a distance.
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Needing two wins to have a chance for the top pod in bonus play, the Blazers led for 79 of 80 minutes on the road trip which featured wins over Marshall and WKU.
Β
Conference USA will announce opponents, locations and dates this evening for bonus play.Β
Β
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The win, coupled with a North Texas loss, moved UAB into the top pod for Conference USA bonus play which begins next Saturday, Feb. 23. The Blazers will be the five-seed and are joined by Old Dominion, WKU, UTSA and Southern Miss in pod one.
Β
In a homecoming game for Tavin Lovan, the freshman had his first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Zack Bryant led UAB with 24 points for his fifth 20+ point performance of the season, and Lewis Sullivan chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Β
UAB (16-11, 8-6 C-USA) shot 46.9 percent from the floor (23-of-49) and 44.4 percent from behind the arc (8-of-18), while holding WKU to 37.5 percent. The HilltoppersΒ (16-11, 9-5 C-USA) were led by Charles Bassey with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, but the rest of WKU was 14-of-51 combined.
Β
The Blazers' defense was extremely disruptive in the first 10 minutes as WKU only made four of its first 20 shots. During the stretch, the Blazers used a 7-0 run to gain an 18-8 advantage at the under 8-media timeout.
Β
The Hilltoppers though, made their next four shots and used an 11-2 run to get with one (20-19) with 3:46 remaining in the half.
Β
Behind nine first half points for Bryant, the Blazers took a 28-23 lead into halftime. Lovan had six points and six rebounds and helped UAB shoot 46.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.
Β
WKU shot 32 percent in the first half behind 6-of-8 shooting and 15 points from Bassey, but the rest of his team was 4-of-23, including 0-12 from long range. Β
Β
The Hilltoppers would get within one (33-32) with 13:41 left, but that's as close as they would get as UAB scored the next five points to extend the lead back to six.
Β
The Blazers gained a 41-32 advantage when Lovan hit his second 3-pointer of the game with 10:37 remaining, and the lead reached 14 (55-41) after a tip-in from Sullivan with 4:21 left.
Β
Sullivan's 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:25 left gave UAB a 62-49 advantage, but WKU made three 3-pointers in the final minute and continued to foul down the stretch. UAB went 6-for-10 at the line to keep WKU at a distance.
Β
Needing two wins to have a chance for the top pod in bonus play, the Blazers led for 79 of 80 minutes on the road trip which featured wins over Marshall and WKU.
Β
Conference USA will announce opponents, locations and dates this evening for bonus play.Β
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Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballTeam Stats
UAB
WKU
FG%
.469
.375
3FG%
.444
.222
FT%
.636
.667
RB
41
32
TO
14
8
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
24
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
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