BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB slipped free of Furman at the end of both halves, and the rallies made a difference in the Blazers’ 92-86 victory over the Paladins on Saturday night.

UAB is one of those schools that requests it be referred to by an initialism, but as a point of information, it is a university located in Birmingham, Ala, where it plays in Gene Bartow Arena.

A late 17-4 run erased a four-point Furman lead.

The Paladins held a 75-71 lead with under 7:30 remaining when UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who led the Blazers with 19 points, scored in the paint before Furman’s Cooper Bowser was whistled for an illegal screen. The UAB basket marked the first of seven consecutive successful field-goal attempts for the Blazers.

UAB’s Alejandro Vasquez took advantage of the Bowser turnover with a basket that knotted the game at 75-75, but Carter Whitt put the Paladins back in front, 77-75, with a floater with 6:19 remaining.

 After the teams traded turnovers, Lendeborg scored to even the game and start a 13-2 spurt. Furman missed its next three shots and the Paladins committed three turnovers during UAB’s run that gave the Blazers an 88-79 advantage with 2:25 left when Tony Toney drained a three and Lendeborg followed a turnover with a bucket.

 Furman reeled off five straight points to trim the deficit to 88-84 with over a minute remaining, but the Blazers converted on 4/5 free throws in the final 45 seconds to preserve the lead.

The loss was not without encouraging signs.

Marcus Foster had another prolific performance, scoring 27 points. Three others – Pjay Smith (15), Tyrese Hughey (14) and Alex Williams (12) – scored in double figures.

For only the second time, Furman (3-3) excelled at three-point shooting, canning 11/25 (.440). Hughey hit all three of his attempts. Head coach Bob Richey believes that three-point success is primarily a consequence of quality of the looks.

Pegues, who scored only six points, handed out eight assists.

Lendeborg hit 8/10 shots from the floor for the Blazers and added 10 rebounds to post a double-double while Javian Davis added 17 points and six boards before fouling out. Eric Gaines scored 13 points, Vasquez netted 12 and Daniel Ortiz finished with 10 off the bench to round out UAB’s double figure scorers.

The Blazers (4-2) shot .586 from the field and connected on 19/23 free throws.

Furman shot .508 overall and hit 15/23 foul shots.

Foster hit 9/16 shots and 7/7 free throws.

The Paladins return to Timmons Arena to host South Carolina State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Take a look at the stats here.

Some say they intend to make a contribution to keep the site alive. Several have done so recently. I reckon some just don’t get around to it. I used to list an address to send a check (DHK Sports, P.O. Box 768, Clinton, S.C. 29325). I finally got it through my thick head that not that many people write checks nowadays. For example, me. A more convenient means might be sending a reasonable amount to DHK Sports on Venmo.

Support the advertisers, and help keep the site – the game stories, the blogs, the photos – alive by making a monthly donation via Patreon. The Laurens County site is here. The Furman site is here.

Another way I can make a little is if you purchase my books at MonteDutton.net. They’re quite entertaining in spite of the fellow who wrote them. Two of my novels, Cowboys Come Home and Lightning in a Bottle, are available in audio versions. The latest, The Latter Days, is about baseball.

Photo galleries are posted on Instagram @furmanatt and @laurenscountysports.