A strong effort in rallying from a six-point halftime deficit came up short for the UAB basketball team in its return trip to the NCAA tournament.

The Blazers got into early foul trouble and could not complete a second-half comeback in a 69-65 loss to No. 5 seed San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The loss closes out the 2023-2024 UAB season with a 23-12 record overall in their first season as members of the American Athletic Conference.

The Blazers shot 37.7 percent from the field and were 7-of-20 on 3-pointers and 18-of-24 at the free throw line. UAB allowed the Aztecs to shoot 43.6 percent overall and earn a plus-2 edge of the glass and a plus-18 advantage on points in the paint.

Efrem “Butta” Johnson led the Blazers with 19 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and a 5-of-10 showing on 3-pointers. He also added three rebounds and two assists.

Eric Gaines finished with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists, but committed five turnovers as UAB had 14 for the game. Yaxel Lendeborg had 11 points and seven rebounds but picked up two early fouls and fouled out in the final seconds of the game.

The Blazers fell behind by as many as 11 points late in the first half but closed out on a 9-4 run to trim the lead to 35-29 entering the halftime break.

San Diego State rebuilt a double-digit advantage in the opening minutes of the second half but the Blazers responded with a 19-5 run to take their only lead of the game, 51-49, midway through the period. UAB was never able to pull away and the Aztecs were sharp from the free-throw line to seal the win over the Blazers.

This post will be updated.