CHARLOTTE – An 8-1 run in the game’s final 2:33 propelled Charlotte to a 51-44 victory over UAB on Thursday night at Halton Arena.
The Blazers (9-5, 0-1 C-USA) got 11 points from Tavin Lovan, who was 5-of-8 shooting.
Jahmir Young led Charlotte (7-5, 1-0 C-USA) with a game-high 18 points.
The first half was tight, remaining a two-possession contest throughout. After being down by five points at the 13:51 mark, the Blazers would go on a 12-2 run to take a 20-15 lead at 4:45 on a layup by Makhtar Gueye. UAB would have four straight empty possessions allowing the 49ers to regain the lead at 23-20. Tamell Pearson closed out the first half scoring with a jumper that made the score 23-22 heading into halftime.
Charlotte jumped out to a six point lead before the first media timeout of the second half. A 14-3 Blazers run put them ahead 38-33 with 11:23 left to play. The 49ers defense forced four straight missed field goal attempts over the next 4:48 as they regained the lead at 40-39 on Young’s layup at 6:35.
UAB tied the game at 41-41 at 4:36 on a Will Butler layup and had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but a 3-pointer from Gueye did not fall. The teams exchanged baskets as the game was tied for the seventh time with 2:47 remaining, but UAB would only get one free throw from Jalen Benjamin down the stretch.
“It’s so hard to win on the road in your first game of conference play. We’ve been defending, we’ve been rebounding and that’s why we’ve been in all our games,” said head coach Robert Ehsan.
UAB outrebounded Charlotte 39-23 and held the 49ers to 37 percent shooting.
“We had the lead and the momentum, but the turnovers killed us. We just got to shoot better and take care of the ball better.”
UAB had 18 turnovers, resulting in 19 Charlotte points.
The Blazers remain on the road to face Old Dominion (5-9, 1-0 C-USA). The Monarchs defeated Middle Tennessee 70-60 earlier tonight.
“ODU is defensive minded like we are. They’ve played one of the hardest nonconference schedules in the league. We need to tighten some things up offensively and have a good plan of attack.”
The Blazers return home to Bartow Arena on Jan. 9 against WKU.
gle game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1. Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 20 tickets. To inquire about group tickets for the 2019-20 season, please contact Chris Curtis at (205) 934-3172 or ccurtis2@uab.edu.
Along with single game and group tickets which are already on sale, fans now have the option to purchase a four-game mini plan which offers the flexibility of attending any four Conference USA games at Bartow Arena for only $40 in the upper level. The C-USA Pick 4 Mini Plan can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1.
