FRISCO, Texas – The UAB men’s basketball team’s quest for the league title came to an end on Saturday afternoon following a 64-60 setback to WKU in the semifinal round of the 2021 Conference USA Championship.
UAB (22-7) was led by Michael Ertel with 16 points. Quan Jackson added 15 points. Tavin Lovan scored 14, including his 1,000th career point and Kassim Nicholson recorded 10 points. Trey Jemison grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Conference USA Player of the Year Charles Bassey led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also added seven rebounds and four blocks. Dayvion McKnight had 13 points and nine assists.
After three ties and three lead changes, Lovan’s and-1 at 12:16 of the 1st half made the score 12-10. UAB would hold the lead for the next 11 minutes going up by as many as eight points two times. Ertel’s 3-pointer closed out the half scoring and gave UAB a 34-31 lead heading into the break.
Nicholson’s jumper opened the 2nd half scoring before a 16-2 WKU run gave the Hilltoppers a 47-38 lead at the 11:40 mark. The Blazers answered by scoring the next six points and would cut the deficit to two points after an Ertel steal and jumper with 1:25 remaining.
Ertel recorded another steal on the ensuing WKU possession, but his 3-point attempt for the lead did not fall. McKnight grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made his subsequent free throws, putting the Hilltoppers up 64-40 with 35 seconds to play. A pair of Blazer 3-pointers were off target on their final two possessions.
“All year we have tried to grind our way into offensive productivity,” said head coach Andy Kennedy. “When you score 60 points your margin of error is awfully small.”
“Western Kentucky is a team that makes about six and-a-half 3-pointers a game, and we knew if it got over that number it was going to be a problem for us.”
WKU drained 10 baskets from beyond-the-arc, three coming from Luke Frampton off the bench.
“I could not have been prouder of the guys that have represented our program and University in a first-class manner,” added Kennedy. “You could never question this team’s intensity. You can never question this team’s fight and I am proud to have been a part of it.”
WKU will advance to the championship game and will face North Texas tomorrow.
NOTES
- Lovan becomes the 23rd player to score 1,000 career points – he has 1,010
- He is behind Cameron Moore (2008-12) who scored 1,060 career points
- Kennedy’s 22 victories are the most victories for a UAB first-year head coach
- This was UAB’s 11th Conference USA Championship semifinal berth
MEN’S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
Men’s basketball season tickets for the 2021-22 season are on sale now. Current basketball season ticket holders can click here to renew their original 2020-21 seat locations prior to social distancing adjustments. Click here to purchase new 2021-22 season which start as low as $100 with the Blaze’s Corner season ticket.
Fans interested in season tickets can fill out the season ticket request form or contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 to receive additional information.
For more information on the UAB men’s basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter and Instagram.
