55 and counting: Memphis pulls away to beat UAB

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/26/2009 - Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doneal Mack had 17 points, as fifth-ranked Memphis pulled away to defeat UAB, 71-60, and clinch its fourth consecutive Conference USA regular season title.

Antonio Anderson added 16 points, and Robert Dozier finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Memphis (25-3, 13-0 C-USA), which extended its conference win streak to 55 and its overall victory string to 19 -- the longest in the nation. The Tigers ended the game on a 15-5 run, though trailed multiple times in the second half.

Shawn Taggart ended with 13 points and 11 boards for Memphis, which won despite committed 19 turnovers.

Lawrence Kinnard had a game-high 25 points and added 11 rebounds for UAB (19-9, 9-4), which had won six in a row and nine of its last 10. Paul Delaney III scored 18 and Channing Toney provided 11 points in the Blazers' loss.

UAB's Robert Vaden, who came into the game averaging a team-leading 18.2 points, finished with zero points, going 0-for-17 from the field. That included an 0-for-12 clip from three-point range.

With 5:37 left, Dozier grabbed a rebound on the offensive end and went right back up with it, sinking the basket and drawing the foul. It was a key basket, as the free throw gave Memphis a two-possession lead at 54-50.

Kinnard answered at the other end with a three-pointer, and after the teams traded baskets, an Aaron Johnson layup drew UAB within 56-55 with 4 1/2 minutes on the clock.

But the Tigers pulled away from there, getting four consecutive free throws -- two each from Anderson and Taggart. After a UAB miss, Mack drained a contested three from the right corner for a 63-55 Memphis lead, and the Blazers called a timeout with 2:31 left.

Kinnard got a layup on the other end, but Anderson's three-pointer gave Memphis a 66-57 advantage. A bad pass into the backcourt on UAB's next possession gave the ball right back to Memphis. Anderson made a pair of free throws, and the Tigers held on from there.

The teams were tied at 28 after a back-and-forth first half, and the game remained close until Memphis gained some separation. Back-to-back buckets from Mack gave the Tigers a 42-34 lead a little more than four minutes into the second half.

But UAB came back with a nine-point burst, during which Kinnard had five points. His three-pointer with just under 13 minutes to go put the Blazers on top, 43-42, and the teams traded the lead several times as the game went to the stretch run.

Game Notes

UAB scored 26 points off turnovers, while turning the ball over only nine times itself...Tyreke Evans had eight points for Memphis.

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