It was an ugly senior day for the UAB men’s basketball team as they fell to Old Dominion 65-58 in their final Conference USA home game.
It was a tight game to start with the Old Dominion first on the board. There were six ties and eight lead changes in the first half alone. The Monarchs began to pull away, though, and led by as much as nine late in the half. The Blazers scored five points to make the halftime margin a four-point game.
The second half was all Quan Jackson as he scored 23 of the Blazers 36 points. He was not enough to overcome Old Dominion on his own though.
The Monarchs led by as much as nine in the half, and UAB struggled to pull the margin within shooting distance. The Blazers led by three as late as the 11:42 minute mark of the second half, but Old Dominion made timely plays to win.
Jackson was the bright spot for the Blazers, scoring a career-high 28 points off 9-17 shooting.
“I just thought he was really aggressive,” said head coach Andy Kennedy. “Quan was the only guy on our team taking that thing right down the teeth of the defense and making them play.”
Beyond Jackson, Ertel added 15 points, and Jemison led in rebounds with eight to go along with his two points.
Xavier Green led the Monarchs in scoring with 16 points and five rebounds, Malik Curry added 11 points and four rebounds and Kalu Ezikpe led in rebounds with 10 to go along with six points.
Turnovers were an issue for both with UAB turning it over a season-high 15 times and the Monarchs losing the ball 17. Each time only managed eight assists.
The Blazers continued to struggle from the free-throw line, making 10 of 17. The Monarchs made them pay, making one more free-throw than UAB shot.
UAB seniors Tyreek Scott-Grayson and Kassim Nicholson were honored before the game in special ceremony.
The Blazers will return to play against Rust College on Monday, Feb. 22. The game is set to tip at 6 p.m. and will be available to stream on CUSA.tv or to listen to on WJQX 100.5 in Birmingham.
