UAB Surges in Second Half to Complete Season Sweep of UTEP

Saturday, February 26

El Paso, Texas

8 p.m.

UAB

-227,124 CUSA

UTEP

-1612,97 CUSA

UAB

UTEP

Photo by: Ruben Ramirez

UAB Surges in Second Half to Complete Season Sweep of UTEP

2/26/2022 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

EL PASO, Texas – The UAB men's basketball team rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to record a huge 69-66 road victory at UTEP on Saturday night in the Don Haskins Center. The Blazers also secured their first road weekend sweep in league play this season with Saturday's triumph over the Miners.

After trailing 34-27 at halftime, the Blazers exploded out of the break with nine straight points. Trey Jemison, who finished one bucket shy of his second straight double-double, cleaned up on the glass and converted a second-chance opportunity in the paint to open the half. Jordan Walker then caught fire from behind the arc, tying the game at 34-34 with a 3-pointer to quickly erase UAB's halftime deficit.

UAB (22-7, 12-4 C-USA) would stretch its lead to a then game-high seven points when Justin Brown drilled a 3-pointer in the right corner, giving the Blazers a 52-45 lead with 10:09 on the clock. UAB then extended its lead to a game-high eight points at 58-50 when Walker knocked down a jumper with 7:30 remaining.

UTEP (16-12, 9-7 C-USA), however, would respond with 10-0 run to turn a 58-50 deficit into a 60-58 lead when Jamal Bieniemy converted a layup with 4:08 remaining.

KJ Buffen answered UTEP's 10-point spurt with five straight points for the Blazers, tying the game with a pair of free throws before drilling a 3-pointer to put UAB ahead 63-60 with 3:16 left on the clock. UTEP regained the lead at 66-65 with 1:13 when Keonte Kennedy, who appeared in his first conference game this season on Saturday, knocked down a jumper in the paint.

Walker would then ice the game for the Blazers in the final minute, giving UAB the lead for good with a floater in the paint to make it 67-66 with 52 seconds left on the clock. Walker would then drill a pair of free throws to push the game to its final margin. UTEP's Alfred Hollins missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the game's closing seconds.

The Blazers rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit for the second time this season, tying a previous best set back in UAB's road victory at Saint Louis in December. Domination in the paint fueled UAB's comeback, outrebounding the Miners 42-25. UAB is now 17-0 this season when it outrebounds its opponent.

Walker (22) paced the Blazers in scoring, while Jemison posted yet another 12-rebound effort to lead UAB on the glass.

UAB will conclude its regular season road schedule Wednesday when the Blazers travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to take on Southern Miss. Wednesday night's tipoff against the Golden Eagles is set for 7 p.m.

MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets to any home basketball game during the 2021-22 season. Groups are encouraged to complete the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office for more information.