UAB Sinks Free Throws Late to Beat SMU 74-70
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – SMU won’t be headed into the American Athletic Conference championship tournament on the high note it had hoped for.
The Mustangs (20-11, 11-7) fell 74-70 to UAB after taking a one-point lead with 1:14. But UAB’s Eric Gaines scored five-straight points from the free-throw line to give the Blazers (20-11, 12-6) the win. SMU will enter the ACC Championship as the No. 6 seed and will face either Temple or UTSA in the second round on Thursday at 8 p.m.
SMU found itself in a great position to win the game halfway through the second half. The Mustangs trailed 33-29 at halftime but came out and built a 14-point lead against UAB. But 26 fouls and 11 turnovers were too much to overcome. UAB took advantage of its trips to the charity stripe, making 13-of-16 attempts.
Zhuric Phelps led the Mustangs with 18 points, Chuck Harris had 17 and Tyreek Smith had 10. Ja’Heim Henderson had a team-high seven rebounds and two blocks.
