Air Force Academy
UAB (UTEP Tournament)
UAB Downs Air Force at UTEP Tourney
12/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec 28, 2002
EL PASO, Texas. (AP) -Morris Finley scored 18 points and pulled down a team-high five rebounds to lead Alabama-Birmingham to a 69-59 victory over Air Force in the opening round of the Sierra Providence Sun Classic Basketball Tournament Friday.
UAB (7-2) will take on Columbia in Saturday's championship game. Columbia defeated host Texas-El Paso 55-54 in Friday's other semi-final.
Richard Jones scored 14 points for the Blazers while Demario Eddins and Gabe Kennedy each added 11 points.
Air Force (5-4) was led by Joel Gerlach and Tim Keller, who each scored 16 points. A.J. Kuhle added 11 points.
Air Force shot 70 percent, 14-20, in the first half en route to a 35-28 halftime lead. But the Falcons were held to just 33 percent, 6-18, in the second half and were outscored 41-24 in the final frame.
UAB's bench was the difference in the game outscoring the Air Force bench 27-6.
Air Force will take on Texas-El Paso in Saturday's consolation game.
