Southern Miss
UAB
Southern Miss Falls Short Against UAB 59-54
2/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2010
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - UAB connected on 8-of-10 free throws in the final 2:41 to hold off Southern Miss, 59-54, Wednesday night at Reed Green Coliseum.
Junior R.L. Horton led Southern Miss with 14 points. His three-pointer to open the game put Horton over 1,000 career points, becoming the 34th Golden Eagle to join that list. Junior Gary Flowers scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high six rebounds and sophomore Angelo Johnson added 10 points.
"We just got out-toughed throughout the game," said Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy. "We were physically manhandled throughout the game in a lot of areas. We're not on their level. We just have to grow up."
Southern Miss (15-10, 5-6 C-USA) led 22-21 at the half. Johnson connected on a three-pointer to increase its lead to 25-21. But Jamarr Sanders hit two free throws and then hit a three to give UAB a 26-25 advantage. But the Golden Eagles regained its four-point lead on a Flowers jumper and three straight points from Torye Pelham.
The teams traded baskets over the next three minutes until an Elijah Millsap trey tied the game at 35 with 13:48 to play. Two jumpers by Horton followed by a free throw from Millsap and a jumper from Howard Crawford made it a one point Southern Miss lead. But Sanders' second three gave UAB (20-5, 8-3) a two-point lead with 10:47 remaining.
Both teams then traded baskets over the next 4:51, with each time UAB taking a two-point lead before the Golden Eagles tied the game. Southern Miss would take its final lead with 6:57 to play on a Maurice Bolden free throw.
With 3:04 remaining, Bolden's jumper tied the game at 51. But, a missed shot and two turnovers prevented Southern Miss from answering the Blazers, and they did not score again until Johnson's second three with 15 seconds left.
Horton opened the game with a three, but the Eagles then went cold, as UAB went on an 11-3 run over the next 7:53. A jumper by Horton pulled Southern Miss to within three, but George Drake's trey gave UAB its largest lead of the first half at 14-8 with 7:27 to play. Southern Miss hit three straight baskets to tie the game, but Cameron Moore and Sanders gave the Blazers an 18-14 lead with 3:58 left in the half.
However, the Black and Gold went on an 8-0 over the next 2:55 to take its first lead since Horton's opening three. But an Aaron Johnson three-point play pulled the Blazers to within 22-21 heading into the break.
Southern Miss shot 40.9% (18-of-44) from the field, while UAB connected on 44.2% (19-of-43) of its shots. The Blazers outrebounded USM 32-30, including holding the Golden Eagles without a board for almost nine minutes in the second half.
Crawford scored a game-high 17 points for UAB. Sanders dropped in 14 and Millsap added 13.
Southern Miss continues its four-game home stand this Saturday, Feb. 20, when it hosts UCF. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.
