UAB Falls to Longwood In Paradise Jam
By Steve Irvine
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - November 22, 2024
Familiar early season problems crept up for the UAB basketball team in the Blazers first step in the Paradise Jam against Longwood on Friday afternoon in Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands.
The Blazers had little luck outside the 3-point stripe, struggled to keep Longwood guards from penetrating to the basket, got very little from Yaxel Lendeborg in the first half and couldn’t find the formula to pull away when the opportunity arose. Put that together and UAB dropped an 89-81 decision to the Lancers in the first game of the eight-team tournament.
“For us, again, guys, it just comes down to the ability to guard,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said in his postgame radio appearance on the Blazer Sports Network from Learfield. “We have no edge defensively, we can't guard, and then compound that with another poor shooting night. We go 3 for 17 from three and again, these things come with clean looks. This team coming in was 30% on our clean looks through our first five games. The three teams that I've had (at UAB), that have played in postseason basketball, cumulatively, have been around 52% on clean looks. So we're not even in the same hemisphere, and as a result, our margin for error is very, very small.”
UAB (3-3) was also hurt on the interior by foul trouble incurred by Yaxel Lendeborg and Christian Coleman, Bradley Ezewiro’s ejection after a Flagrant 2 foul with just under 13 minutes remaining and the absence of Greg Gordon, who had travel problems and will miss the tournament. Lendeborg drew two fouls in just over two minutes in the first half and was limited to three points and three rebounds while playing in just nine minutes. Coleman picked up the first half slack, contributing 14 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes, as the teams fought to a 43-43 tie at halftime. Coleman failed to score or grab a rebound after halftime, while playing just eight second-half minutes before fouling out with 2:36 remaining.
Lendeborg played nearly the entire second half, fouling out in the final minute. At times, he had to play tentative because of foul trouble but he still had 15 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a steal after halftime. He finished with his third double-double of the season.
Once again, though, UAB had trouble scoring from the perimeter. Two of the successful 3-pointers for the Blazers came in the final four minutes. Efrem “Butta” Johnson was 1 of 8 on 3-pointers and 4-of-16 overall from the field. Alejandro Vasquez, who was thought to be another outside threat for the Blazers, missed his lone 3-point attempt and is now 2-of-19 on 3-pointers this season.
One of the most critical 3-point sequences came with 1:35 left and UAB trailing, 80-78. Johnson had an open 3-pointer from the corner but misfired. Longwood (6-0) came down and got a 3-pointer from Michael Christmas to build the five-point lead.
“Our inability to make a shot continues,” Kennedy said. “You know, there were a couple of times I felt like, man, we have to stop bleeding a little bit. We can't guard them, but we got to be able to knock down a couple of looks, our inability to do so cost us.”
Point guard Ja’Borri McGhee had a solid game finishing with 16 points, four assists, two rebounds, a steal and no turnovers. He was 7 of 9 from, 1 of 2 on 3-pointers and made his only free throw. Tony Toney had 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
UAB plays Illinois State in a consolation bracket game on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. Illinois State dropped a 76-68 decision to McNeese State on Friday. The Redbirds played seven players and six of them finished in double digits. Illinois State was 11 of 26 on 3-pointers.