ST. LOUIS (AP) - Saint Louis ground out a 53-47 victory over UAB tonight in a men's Conference USA basketball game at Savvis Center. The Billikens limited the Blazers to 36.7 percent shooting from the field and 18.2 percent from three to snap a two-game losing streak.
"We understood what we had to do to win the game tonight and that was guard," Billikens head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "We made a couple early shots, which was great to see after Saturday's game. When UAB made its run, our guys showed great poise, didn't panic and converted our opportunities when they arose."
In a defensive-oriented first half, the Billikens surged to an early 11-4 lead on Josh Fisher's trey. But UAB countered and tied the game at 14 on point guard Morris Finley's triple. The Bills broke a 17-all tie with another Fisher threeball, and Marque Perry's buzzer beater off a scramble for a loose ball sent the Bills up 22-17 at the break.
Saint Louis took control of the game in the second half and built a 38-28 lead with 9:51 remaining. Sophomore guard Jason Edwin contributed five of his eight points to that rally.
UAB again refused to cave in produced a 14-4 run that tied the game at 44 with 2:43 remaining. Finley and center Will Campbell each contributed six points as the Blazers bid for the lead.
"Late in the game, we had two opportunities to go up one and both looks were clean as clean can be," said Blazers head coach Murry Bartow. "If we can get up one, it changes the whole rhythm of the game, but we never could get up one."
Edwin's 12-foot jumper in the lane lifted the Bills into the lead with 2:19 remaining, and Perry knocked down 5-of-6 free throws to keep the Blazers at a safe distance. Drew Diener also buried a pair of tosses for good measure.
Perry finished with 17 points, while Fisher contributed 10. The Billikens shot 46.2 percent from the field despite shooting 18.2 percent (2-11) from three. The Bills managed to overcome 16 turnovers by forcing 15 UAB turnovers.
Forward Myron Ransom came off the bench to lead UAB (11-15, 4-9) with 11 points and eight boards, while Campbell finished with 10 points.
The Billikens (12-15, 6-7) close their home schedule when C-USA rival Louisville visits Savvis on Fri., Feb. 22, at 8 p.m.
