Tulane University
UAB
Tulane Men's Hoops Falls To UAB, 98-76
Jan 7, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2001
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - UAB used a dominant second half to defeat Tulane University, 98-76, in the Conference USA men's basketball opener for both schools on Sunday evening at Bartow Arena.
UAB (8-5, 1-0 C-USA) outscored Tulane (7-6, 0-1), 51-30, in the second half to break open a tight game. The Blazers also dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Green Wave, 48-26 in the game. Tulane had just six offensive rebounds on the night, while the Blazers had 20.
"I have to give UAB credit," Tulane head coach Shawn Finney said. "They really dominated the glass. That was the difference in the game. We couldn't keep them off the glass and in the second half, we couldn't score."
Tulane was led by sophomore Brandon Spann (New Orleans, La.), who scored 24 points, his fourth consecutive 20-point outing. Spann had as fine a first-half as anybody in the nation this year, scoring 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Spann was joined in double figures by freshman Wayne Tinsley (Fontana, Calif.), who matched his career-high with 15 points, senior Ledaryl Billingsley (Chicago, Ill.) and junior Linton Johnson (Chicago, Ill.). Billingsley had 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Johnson added 12 points.
Trailing 47-46 at the half, the Wave rallied to open the second stanza, scoring the first nine points to take a 55-47 lead with 18:07 to go. However, UAB quickly recovered behind the long-range efforts of P.J. Arnold, who drilled a trio of threes to key an 11-2 run which made it 58-57 with 16:20 to go. A pair of free throws from freshman Justin Amick (Atlanta, Ga.) and a lay-in by Billingsley gave Tulane a three-point lead, but Eric Batchelor nailed a trey to knot the game at 61. Billinglsey hit another free throw, but then the Wave went cold. Tulane would not score until a Billinglsey dunk five minutes later. Meanwhile, the Blazers scored 10 unanswered points to take control of the game, 71-62 with 10:25 to go. In the final 10 minutes of the game, Tulane was held to just three field goals.
"They wore us down physically," Finney said. "They beat us up inside. Defensively, they went to their zone and it frustrated us, making us take bad shots."
After shooting 56.7 percent (17-of-30) in the first half, Tulane dropped to 28.0 percent (7-25) in the second half. A bright spot was a season-high 87.0 percent evening from the foul line, including 7-of-8 from Billingsley. UAB knocked down 13 three-pointers in the game, while Tulane had eight, but just one in the second half.
Amick contributed with career-highs of six points and four rebounds while playing a career-high 23 minutes, as Tinsley battled foul trouble all game.
"Any time we get a starter in foul trouble, it is a problem because of our depth," Finney said. "We only have seven scholarship players so we have to learn maturity and not to get unnecessary fouls."
Tulane returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Lousiville at the New Orleans Arena. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.
