Wednesday, January 29
7 p.m.
Tulsa
9-12,3-5AAC
68
vs
78
UAB
13-8,6-2AAC
1
2
F
UAB
36
42
78
Tulsa
32
36
68
Photo by: Bill Powell
UAB Holds Off Tulsa 78-68
1/29/2025 10:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
TULSA, Okla. – The Golden Hurricane men's basketball team could not overtake the visiting UAB Blazers as Tulsa fell 78-68 in the Donald W. Reynolds Center on Wednesday evening.
Tulsa falls to 9-12 on the season and 3-5 in The American, while UAB improves to 13-8 and 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference.
Struggles at the foul line reared their head again on Wednesday as Tulsa shot 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) which included a stretch of seven consecutive misses. The Blazers made 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) of their free throws and went 6-of-8 (75 percent) in the final five minutes.
For the game, Tulsa shot 40.9 percent from the field, but weren't as successful at the 3-point line as the Hurricane was against Wichita State on Sunday, making just 8-of-28 (28.6 percent). UAB only made one more 3-pointer than TU, but was more efficient, hitting 40.9 percent of its triples (9-of-22).
Dwon Odom led the Hurricane in scoring with another night of a stuffed stat sheet, shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from the floor. The graduate guard recorded 17 points, eight rebounds, including five offensive efforts, and seven assists. Joining him in double figures was Keaston Willis, who scored 16 and knocked down four 3-pointers. Isaiah Barnes was back in the starting lineup for the first time after his injury, as Justin Amadi battled an illness and missed the game. Barnes scored six but led the team with 10 boards. Braeden Carrington made his return after an injury against UTSA and knocked down 3 triples for nine points.
Yaxel Lendeborg was the focal point of the UAB team, and he showed just why, with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds to complete the double-double. The preseason conference player of the year led the team with six assists and recorded two steals and four blocks. Ja'Borri McGhee overcame early foul trouble to add 14 points in 21 minutes of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
Tulsa was slow off the jump as UAB quickly took a 7-0 lead before a TU timeout less than two minutes into the game. Lendeborg made his presence known early, opening the game with a triple and a dunk, and then recording a steal and adding the assist.
Jesaiah McWright got Tulsa on the board shortly after with a layup, but the Hurricane could not quite completely overcome the early hole in the first half. Eventually, an 11-4 run in a little more than two minutes gave UAB its joint largest lead of the night, 32-21 with 5:29 remaining in the opening half.
The Hurricane made a late push to end the half. UAB led 34-24 at the 3:17 mark when Tulsa rattled off eight straight to get within two. Tyshawn Archie and Odom connected on back-to-back possessions with driving layups, and then a steal and dunk from McWright got Tulsa within four. The run was capped by a rarely seen basket on the wrong goal. A McWright 3-point attempt rimmed out and then a UAB player attempting to secure the rebound instead put it in his own hoop.
Lendeborg made a jumper with 22 seconds remaining to close the scoring in the first half with UAB leading 36-32. Odom led TU with eight points and Carrington knocked down Tulsa's only two 3-pointers of the half as the Hurricane shot just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from deep in the opening stanza
IN THE SECOND HALF …
The Hurricane scored the first six points of the second half to take a 38-36 lead. After Barnes missed a pair of free throws, Ian Smikle pulled down the offensive rebound and found Barnes, who atoned for his miss with a thunderous dunk in traffic.
Tulsa's lead was short-lived as a Tyren Moore second chance 3-pointer put UAB ahead for good 41-40 with 16:20 left. The play came after Lendeborg pulled down a big offensive rebound and then found Moore for the triple. This started a 12-0 UAB run that ended with the Blazers leading 49-40 with 13:23 to play.
UAB led 64-54 with 6:16 remaining when Tulsa made its final push. Willis knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to get the deficit down to four in just a minute. After UAB split a pair of free throws, Odom capped the quick 8-1 run with a jumper in the lane and TU trailed 65-62 with 4:07 on the clock.
That was as close as TU would get, as UAB scored six straight to get the lead back to nine. Another Willis 3-pointer was quickly answered by the Blazers as Tulsa dove in on Lendeborg and he found Tony Toney in the corner for the dagger. From there, the Blazers handled business at the foul line and took the 78-68 win.
GAME NOTES
• Tulsa is now 7-12 against the Blazers.
• UAB has won six straight in the series and Tulsa is 3-5 in the Reynolds Center against UAB.
• UAB entered the game with the nation's 20th best rebounding margin (+7.2) and Tulsa outrebounded the Blazers 42-40.
• Braeden Carrington played his first game since leaving the second half of UTSA with injury, scoring nine points on three 3-pointers.
• Dwon Odom scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and 69th in his career.
• Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and 101st in his career.
• Willis has 65 made 3-pointers this season.
The Golden Hurricane opens a two-game road trip at Tulane on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff against the Green Wave is set for 1 p.m. (CT) and the game will air on ESPNU.
Tulsa falls to 9-12 on the season and 3-5 in The American, while UAB improves to 13-8 and 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference.
Struggles at the foul line reared their head again on Wednesday as Tulsa shot 6-of-14 (42.9 percent) which included a stretch of seven consecutive misses. The Blazers made 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) of their free throws and went 6-of-8 (75 percent) in the final five minutes.
For the game, Tulsa shot 40.9 percent from the field, but weren't as successful at the 3-point line as the Hurricane was against Wichita State on Sunday, making just 8-of-28 (28.6 percent). UAB only made one more 3-pointer than TU, but was more efficient, hitting 40.9 percent of its triples (9-of-22).
Dwon Odom led the Hurricane in scoring with another night of a stuffed stat sheet, shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from the floor. The graduate guard recorded 17 points, eight rebounds, including five offensive efforts, and seven assists. Joining him in double figures was Keaston Willis, who scored 16 and knocked down four 3-pointers. Isaiah Barnes was back in the starting lineup for the first time after his injury, as Justin Amadi battled an illness and missed the game. Barnes scored six but led the team with 10 boards. Braeden Carrington made his return after an injury against UTSA and knocked down 3 triples for nine points.
Yaxel Lendeborg was the focal point of the UAB team, and he showed just why, with a game-high 28 points and 13 rebounds to complete the double-double. The preseason conference player of the year led the team with six assists and recorded two steals and four blocks. Ja'Borri McGhee overcame early foul trouble to add 14 points in 21 minutes of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
IN THE FIRST HALF…
Tulsa was slow off the jump as UAB quickly took a 7-0 lead before a TU timeout less than two minutes into the game. Lendeborg made his presence known early, opening the game with a triple and a dunk, and then recording a steal and adding the assist.
Jesaiah McWright got Tulsa on the board shortly after with a layup, but the Hurricane could not quite completely overcome the early hole in the first half. Eventually, an 11-4 run in a little more than two minutes gave UAB its joint largest lead of the night, 32-21 with 5:29 remaining in the opening half.
The Hurricane made a late push to end the half. UAB led 34-24 at the 3:17 mark when Tulsa rattled off eight straight to get within two. Tyshawn Archie and Odom connected on back-to-back possessions with driving layups, and then a steal and dunk from McWright got Tulsa within four. The run was capped by a rarely seen basket on the wrong goal. A McWright 3-point attempt rimmed out and then a UAB player attempting to secure the rebound instead put it in his own hoop.
Lendeborg made a jumper with 22 seconds remaining to close the scoring in the first half with UAB leading 36-32. Odom led TU with eight points and Carrington knocked down Tulsa's only two 3-pointers of the half as the Hurricane shot just 15.4 percent (2-of-13) from deep in the opening stanza
IN THE SECOND HALF …
The Hurricane scored the first six points of the second half to take a 38-36 lead. After Barnes missed a pair of free throws, Ian Smikle pulled down the offensive rebound and found Barnes, who atoned for his miss with a thunderous dunk in traffic.
Tulsa's lead was short-lived as a Tyren Moore second chance 3-pointer put UAB ahead for good 41-40 with 16:20 left. The play came after Lendeborg pulled down a big offensive rebound and then found Moore for the triple. This started a 12-0 UAB run that ended with the Blazers leading 49-40 with 13:23 to play.
UAB led 64-54 with 6:16 remaining when Tulsa made its final push. Willis knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to get the deficit down to four in just a minute. After UAB split a pair of free throws, Odom capped the quick 8-1 run with a jumper in the lane and TU trailed 65-62 with 4:07 on the clock.
That was as close as TU would get, as UAB scored six straight to get the lead back to nine. Another Willis 3-pointer was quickly answered by the Blazers as Tulsa dove in on Lendeborg and he found Tony Toney in the corner for the dagger. From there, the Blazers handled business at the foul line and took the 78-68 win.
GAME NOTES
• Tulsa is now 7-12 against the Blazers.
• UAB has won six straight in the series and Tulsa is 3-5 in the Reynolds Center against UAB.
• UAB entered the game with the nation's 20th best rebounding margin (+7.2) and Tulsa outrebounded the Blazers 42-40.
• Braeden Carrington played his first game since leaving the second half of UTSA with injury, scoring nine points on three 3-pointers.
• Dwon Odom scored in double figures for the 17th time this season and 69th in his career.
• Keaston Willis scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and 101st in his career.
• Willis has 65 made 3-pointers this season.
The Golden Hurricane opens a two-game road trip at Tulane on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff against the Green Wave is set for 1 p.m. (CT) and the game will air on ESPNU.
Team Stats
UAB
Tulsa
FG%
.446
.400
3FG%
.409
.286
FT%
.688
.429
RB
40
42
TO
6
10
STL
8
3
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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