Inside The Mustangs

UAB Sinks Free Throws Late to Beat SMU 74-70

Mustangs head into AAC Championship tournament as No. 6 seed

Taylor Hodges

UAB Sinks Free Throws Late to Beat SMU 74-70
UAB Sinks Free Throws Late to Beat SMU 74-70 /
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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.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Taylor is an award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. He's covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.