UAB knocks Rams out of NIT

All season long, it was the
VCU Rams’ defense that helped
carry the team to victory after
victory. On Wednesday night,
it finally broke down. Reggie
Huffman scored 21 points,
Alabama-Birmingham shot 47.3
percent as a team from the field
and Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./
Westover) missed a 3-pointer
as time expired and the Blazers
topped the Rams 80-77 in an
NIT match up at the Stuart C.
Siegel Center.

“We knew they loved to
press and trap. We did a really
good job of keeping the ball
moving,” UAB head coach Mike
Davis said.

VCU led by as many as seven
in the first half before UAB’s offense
turned up the heat and the
Rams’ defense broke down. After
a Jamal Shuler (Jacksonville,
N.C./Jacksonville) 3-pointer
gave VCU a 25-18 lead with 6:38
remaining in the first half, the
Blazers went on a 20-2 run to
close the half and take a 38-27
halftime lead. The Blazers forced
five VCU turnovers during the
stretch and closed out the half
shooting 48.4 percent (15 for
31) from the field.

“We dug a hole for ourselves
there about the eight-minute
mark of the first half,” VCU head
coach Anthony Grant said.

Grant pointed out consecutive
turnovers, ill-advised
shots and poor defense as the
culprits.

“It kind of snowballed on
us,” he said.

Huffman scored 12 of his
team-high 21 in the first half,
with many of his baskets coming
from deep in the paint.

“He (Huffman) did what he
did all night. He had a great
night for them,” Grant said.

The beginning of the first
half continued in UAB’s favor
as the Blazers increased their
lead to 14 with 18:12 left in
the game. However, the Rams were
resilient and fought back behind the
play of Maynor, closing the lead to
four with 12:07 to go.

“In the second half they came out
with the toughness and character
we’ve been looking for,” Grant said
of his team.

The Blazers however would respond
to the Rams’ challenge and held a lead
as high as 11, 70-59, with 1:39 to play.
However, VCU made it interesting at
the end. Maynor scored seven VCU
points in a row, and UAB was unable
to convert on key free throws, allowing
the Rams to close the lead to 73-66
with 49 seconds to play. Shuler hit a
3-pointer with 42 seconds to close the
lead to four.

After UAB only was able to convert
2 of 4 free throws, Lance Kearse (Fort
Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) hit a 3-pointer
with 19.4 seconds to play to close the
lead to 77-74. UAB once again only
converted on half of its allotted free
throws, and Shuler responded with a
3-pointer to close the lead to one at
78-77 with nine seconds left in the
game. However, Huffman was able
to get loose on the inbounds pass and
converted an uncontested layup to
give the Blazers an 80-77 lead with
five seconds to play. Maynor brought
the ball up the court, but his 3-point
attempt from the right elbow came up
short and clanged off the rim.

Maynor finished with game highs
in points (22) and assists (9). Shuler
scored 21 points in his final game as
a VCU Ram, and Kearse added 16.
For UAB, Robert Vaden, the team’s
leading scorer, had 16 points while
Huffman added 9 rebounds to his
scoring total.

By the numbers

UAB (23-10): Mayfield 4, Huffman
21, Johnson 12, Vaden 16, Toney
6, Berrios 5, Holmes 1, Kinnard 13,
Davis 0, Crawford 2. Totals: 26 22-
31 80. 3-pointers: Johnson 2, Vaden
2, Berrios, Kinnard.

VCU (24-8): Sanders 6, Gwynn 2,
Maynor 22, Rodriguez 5, Shuler 21,
Fameni 0, Rozzell 3, Pishchalnikov
2, Kearse 16, Brown 0, Nixon 0.
Totals: 25 15-20 77. 3-pointers:
Shuler 5, Kearse 4, Maynor,
Rodriguez, Rozzell.