The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sunday, November 12
Asheville, N.C.
11:30 a.m.
UAB
1-2,0-0AAC
66
vs
63
Maryland
1-2,0-0Big Ten
1
2
F
Maryland
30
33
63
UAB
24
42
66
Photo by: Sully Ortega
UAB MBB Downs Maryland at Asheville Championship
11/12/2023 3:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UAB men's basketball (1-2) took down Maryland (1-2) at the Asheville Championship to pick up its first win of the season, 66-63. Eric Gaines led the Blazers with 20 points and four steals while Alejandro Vasquez added 14 points and grabbed five rebounds.
UAB found itself trailing by 11 in the first half after Julian Reese's dunk put the Terps up 27-16, forcing Andy Kennedy to call a timeout. On the ensuing Maryland possession, Eric Gaines picked off a pass and took it all the way in for a dunk before doing the same thing on the following possession to swing the momentum back to the Blazers.
The Blazers found an edge in the middle portion of the contest. After a Maryland three with 4:35 left in the first half, the UAB defense held the Terrapins scoreless for the rest of the half. Maryland led UAB 30-24 at the half.
Efrem "Butta" Johnson scored the first points of the half and Gaines added four straight, capped off by a steal and dunk to tie the game at 30 after 1:39 of game time.
With Maryland leading by one, Alejandro Vasquez started forcing the issue on the offensive end. He went on a solo 7-0 run with some tough drives to the basket. His free throw with 12:39 to go put UAB ahead 46-36.
The Blazers extended the lead to 12 points with 7:39 to go after Tony Toney converted his steal into two points. However, Maryland began to respond, scoring four points on the ensuing possession.
Down the stretch, Maryland continued to pressure the UAB offense, forcing the Blazers lead down to two points with 31 seconds remaining. After Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws for UAB, Maryland scored with 10 seconds to go to make it a 65-63 ballgame. Gaines then went to the line and hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to three.
Yaxel Lendeborg blocked the Terps' three at the buzzer, his fourth of the game, and Eric Gaines collected it to cap off the Blazers' win.
NOTES
"It was a great environment against quality competition early in the year. That's the reason you do these things. You learn a lot about your team and we certainly learned a lot about our group over the last 72 hours. We're close. We are a possession here and a possession there from sitting here at 3-0, but there's nothing that we can do about that except learn. I think our guys put themselves in position to earn a quality win and fortunately we were able to capitalize."
UP NEXT
The Blazers will host Alcorn State on Thursday, November 16 at Bartow Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
PURCHASE YOUR 2023-24 SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2023-24 UAB men's basketball season are still on sale starting as low as $110. Season packages will feature all home games during UAB's inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference and provide the most cost-effective way to attend games in Bartow Arena. Fans may request more information here or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
GROUP AND PREMIUM TICKETS
Individual and corporate groups can plan an unforgettable experience during any of UAB's 18 home events this season by filling out the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form. Fan experience packages and discounted group tickets are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets, and fan experiences at Bartow Arena are available at any home basketball game on a first come, first served basis throughout the season.
In addition, a limited number of premium seating options also remain at Bartow Arena and provides fans and corporations the ability to enjoy the exclusive amenities offered at Bartow Arena while experiencing the action from midcourt views. Call Blazer Boosters at (205) 996-9969 to learn more.
POWER UP
UAB Athletics is excited to officially compete in the American Athletic Conference and needs Blazer Nation to Power Up by becoming a 2023 Blazer Boosters member. Join Blazer Boosters today as UAB student-athletes complete for championships, graduate with honors, and make a difference in our community.
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
UAB found itself trailing by 11 in the first half after Julian Reese's dunk put the Terps up 27-16, forcing Andy Kennedy to call a timeout. On the ensuing Maryland possession, Eric Gaines picked off a pass and took it all the way in for a dunk before doing the same thing on the following possession to swing the momentum back to the Blazers.
The Blazers found an edge in the middle portion of the contest. After a Maryland three with 4:35 left in the first half, the UAB defense held the Terrapins scoreless for the rest of the half. Maryland led UAB 30-24 at the half.
Efrem "Butta" Johnson scored the first points of the half and Gaines added four straight, capped off by a steal and dunk to tie the game at 30 after 1:39 of game time.
With Maryland leading by one, Alejandro Vasquez started forcing the issue on the offensive end. He went on a solo 7-0 run with some tough drives to the basket. His free throw with 12:39 to go put UAB ahead 46-36.
The Blazers extended the lead to 12 points with 7:39 to go after Tony Toney converted his steal into two points. However, Maryland began to respond, scoring four points on the ensuing possession.
Down the stretch, Maryland continued to pressure the UAB offense, forcing the Blazers lead down to two points with 31 seconds remaining. After Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws for UAB, Maryland scored with 10 seconds to go to make it a 65-63 ballgame. Gaines then went to the line and hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to three.
Yaxel Lendeborg blocked the Terps' three at the buzzer, his fourth of the game, and Eric Gaines collected it to cap off the Blazers' win.
NOTES
- Eric Gaines added his third 20-point game of his career while picking up four steals and adding three assists.
- Alejandro Vasquez scored 14 points and grabbed five boards in his first double-digit scoring effort at the Division I level since 2020-21.
- Christian Coleman and Yaxel Lendeborg combined for eight blocks on the defensive end with four each.
- The Blazers went 21-for--23 from the free throw line.
- UAB's nine three-point attempts are the fewest since February 26, 2021 against UTSA and the one made three matches the least in a single game of the Andy Kennedy era.
- The Blazers picked up their first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2006 vs. Minnesota. The last UAB win over a current Big Ten member was during the 2013-14 season over Rutgers – one year prior to the Scarlet Knights' first season in the Big Ten.
"It was a great environment against quality competition early in the year. That's the reason you do these things. You learn a lot about your team and we certainly learned a lot about our group over the last 72 hours. We're close. We are a possession here and a possession there from sitting here at 3-0, but there's nothing that we can do about that except learn. I think our guys put themselves in position to earn a quality win and fortunately we were able to capitalize."
UP NEXT
The Blazers will host Alcorn State on Thursday, November 16 at Bartow Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
PURCHASE YOUR 2023-24 SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2023-24 UAB men's basketball season are still on sale starting as low as $110. Season packages will feature all home games during UAB's inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference and provide the most cost-effective way to attend games in Bartow Arena. Fans may request more information here or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.
GROUP AND PREMIUM TICKETS
Individual and corporate groups can plan an unforgettable experience during any of UAB's 18 home events this season by filling out the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form. Fan experience packages and discounted group tickets are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets, and fan experiences at Bartow Arena are available at any home basketball game on a first come, first served basis throughout the season.
In addition, a limited number of premium seating options also remain at Bartow Arena and provides fans and corporations the ability to enjoy the exclusive amenities offered at Bartow Arena while experiencing the action from midcourt views. Call Blazer Boosters at (205) 996-9969 to learn more.
POWER UP
UAB Athletics is excited to officially compete in the American Athletic Conference and needs Blazer Nation to Power Up by becoming a 2023 Blazer Boosters member. Join Blazer Boosters today as UAB student-athletes complete for championships, graduate with honors, and make a difference in our community.
FOLLOW THE BLAZERS
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
MD
UAB
FG%
.386
.407
3FG%
.261
.111
FT%
.650
.913
RB
36
33
TO
15
14
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballCoffee with Coach | 2025 Week 6
Friday, September 19
Coffee with Coach | 2025 Week 4
Tuesday, September 16
UAB Athletics Live Stream
Monday, September 15
UAB Football Postgame Press Conference | Akron
Sunday, September 14
