Aztecs Are Totaled by UAB in Title Game

San Diego State scouting report said the Aztecs did not have to worry about keeping tight coverage on UAB guard Barry Bearden, because he simply could not hit from the outside.

All Bearden did here Friday night was go four for six from three-point range, including a pair in the game’s opening minute, and scored 18 points to help the Blazers (6-3) rout the Aztecs (6-4), 91-46, in the championship game of the UAB Invitational basketball tournament in front of a crowd of 4,209 at UAB Arena.

Bearden entered the game shooting only 36% from the field. He leads the team in assists and steals, but his touch from the outside had gone rock hard this year.

His sudden emergence from the slump caught the Aztecs off guard. Bearden opened the game by swishing a three-pointer from the right side of the court, and he came down seconds later and calmly nailed one from the left side.

Less than a minute into the game, UAB led, 6-0, and the Aztecs’ entire defensive game plan had been thrown for a loop.

“What started it was that little guard for UAB that we obviously didn’t have a read on,” San Diego State Coach Jim Brandenburg said. “To this point he wasn’t really hitting his shots. So he caught us twice back on our heels ready to help out inside on (UAB forward Larry) Rembert and those guys, and we gave him the shots and they both went down.

“By this time we said to go get him, but we still didn’t react real well. He buries two, and we’re down, 6-0, and that kind of set the tempo for the game, and it kind of stayed there.”

It not only stayed there, it snowballed. The Blazers connected 10 times from three-point range and several more times from 15 to 18 feet. Tournament MVP Andy Kennedy hit four three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points for the Blazers.

But Bearden’s early shots set the tone.

“I know if I start out hitting well, it will ignite the whole team, because I’ve been in a slump,” Bearden said. “We were all shooting it tonight.”

Bearden said he could tell right away that the Aztecs were not going to play him tight. And when those first three-pointers went down, Bearden said, he knew it was going to be the Blazers’ night.

“The player who was guarding me, when I hit that first shot, he turned to their coach and said, ‘You told me he couldn’t shoot.’ ” Bearden said with a laugh. “Then I said, ‘I can’t shoot, just stay off me.’

“But by then I knew we were going to win. I could just feel that we were all going to have a good night.”

The Aztecs, on the other hand, were ice cold, shooting only 30%. They did not make a single basket off a long-range jump shot in the first half, instead scoring all their points on layups, slams and free throws. SDSU was one of 15 from three-point range.

“We just struggled offensively all night,” Brandenburg said. “We didn’t react well to what UAB threw at us. They came out very aggressive around the basket, and our guys just did not respond.”

With the score 21-9 midway through the first half, the Blazers went on yet another run. Bearden drove the length of the court and converted a beautiful underhanded, scoop layup between two Aztec defenders.

Guard Jack Kramer followed with a basket on a drive down the lane, and freshman George Wilkerson scored seconds later when he stole the ball and went in for a two-handed stuff that brought the crowd of 4,209 to its feet.

The Blazers held a 36-21 lead with three minutes left in the first half when Kennedy went on a flurry in which the junior forward scored nine points in only 35 seconds.

First, he took a pass from Kramer on a fast-break, went in for the dunk and was fouled as he scored by the Aztecs’ Michael Best. The officials called it intentional, and Kennedy made both of the free throws. Then when UAB regained possession, he hit a three-pointer. Seconds later, he was fouled again and made both free throws.

Any hopes the Aztecs had of working their way back into the game vanished during the span, as UAB’s lead ballooned to 45-21 with 2:04 left in the half. The Blazers held a 47-24 lead at halftime.

Bearden opened the second half the way he did the first, swishing one from long range. UAB quickly expanded its lead to 55-30.

That’s when Kennedy and Bearden completely took over the show.

Bearden hit an 18-footer, Kennedy nailed a three-pointer and Bearden came right back with another 18-footer.

With the Blazers’ lead up to 66-38, Kennedy hit a 22-footer, Bearden followed with another three-pointer, and then Kennedy scored from long distance one last time, giving UAB an 81-38 advantage with six minutes remaining.

UAB Coach Gene Bartow finally put an end to the streak-shooting by removing both Bearden and Kennedy for the stretch run.

Shawn Jamison was leading scorer for San Diego State with 13 points and six rebounds. Marty Dow added 12 points and six rebounds and Arthur Massey had 10.

“If I’ve had a game this bad before I’ve forgotten it,” Brandenburg said. “These are the kind you want to forget about in a hurry.

“But the nice thing about basketball is you usually don’t have to wait a full week to vindicate yourself. A lot of people say you’re only as good as your last game. I think you’re only as good as your next game. We’ve just got to forget this, put it out of our mind and go on from here. It’s very simple.”

Penn State won the consolation game against Southwest Texas State 62-37. The Bobcats once again had a pitiful shooting night, hitting only 24% of their shots in the second half.

Penn State was led by center Ed Fogell, who had 24 points.