Tulane University
UAB
Second Half Run Lifts UAB men Over Tulane
Jan 20, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2001
NEW ORLEANS, La. - UAB used a 21-5 run to open the second half as it held on to defeat Tulane University, 76-66, in Conference USA men's basketball action on Saturday evening at Fogelman Arena.
Senior Ledaryl Billingsley (Chicago, Ill.) had his fourth straight 20-point game and added 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the year. Sophomore Brandon Spann (New Orleans, La.) added 19 points, while junior Linton Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) had his sixth double-double of the year with 10 points and 11 rebounds, as well as a game-high six assists. Sophomore Brandon Brown (Houma, La.) added 11 points.
Tulane (7-10, 0-4 C-USA) held a 33-28 lead at the break, but UAB (9-8, 2-3) jumped out of the gate to open the second stanza. Tony Johnson flipped in a layup, but Spann answered with a three-pointer, making it 36-30 with 18:58 to go. The Green Wave would not score for the next 5:53. Meanwhile, Eric Batchelor (18 points, five threes) scored five points and LeAndrew Bass (game-high 23 points) added four to key a run of 14 unanswered points, giving the Blazers a 44-36 lead with 14:22 to go. Billingsley stopped the streak with a hoop in the paint, but added five more points to cap the 21-5 run.
"We came out in the second half and didn't play aggressively," Tulane head coach Shawn Finney said. "We had a good first half, we were up in rebounding, and then at halftime we came out tentative. Bass played great in the open court. He is hard to stop."
The Wave battled back after the cold spell, as Billingsley scored eight points and Spann added five to key a 15-5 run, knotting the game at 53 with 8:44 to go. However, Tulane would never regain the lead. Bass continued to take charge, scoring on drives and from the line, as UAB held on for the win, snapping a three-game losing streak. The last win for the Blazers also came against Tulane, a 98-76 win in Birmingham on Jan. 7.
Two players fouled out for Tulane (Johnson and Brown), which is playing with just seven scholarship athletes. The Blazers attempted 34 free throws, while Tulane took just 19. UAB was also effective from the line, hitting 79.4 percent of its efforts, including nine of its last 10. Tulane shot 73.7 percent from the line. UAB held a 42-36 edge on the boards. Tulane held the Blazers to just 36.2 percent shooting, but shot just 39.3 percent itself.
"We can't afford guys to foul out and not play," Finney said. "We don't have depth when someone gets in foul trouble, especially on the perimeter. They shot free throws well and we didn't get to the line enough."
"We've got to refocus and find ways to win games," Finney continued. "We were in a position at 63-60, but we've just got to learn how to win."
Tulane is back in action on Wednesday evening, hosting Memphis and John Calipari at 7 p.m. at New Orleans Arena. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or by calling 504-961-WAVE.
