JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — UAB rallied from a double-digit hole late but fell 71-68 at Jacksonville State on Saturday night, dropping the Blazers to 2-2 on the season.
Justyn Fernandez paced UAB with 15 points and three steals, matching his career best in steals. Salim London had 14 points and seven rebounds, Jeremy Elyzee scored 13 and Elijah Duval added 12, giving the Blazers four players in double figures.
Jacksonville State led 35-30 at halftime. UAB fought back from eight down to tie it 51-51 on a T.J. Caldwell three-pointer with 10:07 to go, but the Gamecocks answered with 12 unanswered points.
Down 12 with under five minutes left, the Blazers closed the gap to one when Duval made two free throws with three seconds remaining. Jacksonville State got 20 points and 17 rebounds from Ethan Croley, and Leon Horner scored 17.
UAB won the turnover battle, forcing 13 while giving away six, and turned that into a 22-6 edge in points off turnovers. The Gamecocks owned the paint 38-30. The lead changed hands 11 times, and the score was knotted on four occasions. Fernandez also made a season-high seven field goals. London’s six made shots and seven boards were season and career marks. Elyzee had a season-best five field goals. UAB also held an 8-4 edge in steals and blocked four shots, and had 14 fast-break points to nine for Jacksonville State.
The Blazers were sharper after the break, putting up 38 points in the second half after scoring 30 in the first. Aleks Alston grabbed six rebounds. Jordan Stiemke chipped in 11 points for Jacksonville State, which also evened its record at 2-2.
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