“It feels good, it sure feels good to me.”

Tony Toney may not have written and performed those words more than three decades ago, Tony! Toni! Toné! did so in 1989, but the sophomore guard for the UAB basketball team is feeling them after helping lead a late rally to end a three-game losing streak.

The Blazers rallied from an 8-point deficit and ended on an 8-0 run as they brought an end to their road woes with an 81-74 victory against Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Jan. 14, at Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana.

“Without resistance, there is no growth,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy told David Crane on Blazers Sportsline postgame. “Those things sound good when you read them in a book, and you ponder, but it’s hard to live it.”

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UAB entered the game at 79 in the NCAA NET and 67 in KenPom, following a three-game skid against FAU, FIU and Western Kentucky, and improves to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in C-USA.

The Blazers shot 37.1 percent overall, 40.9 percent from 3-point range (9-for-22) and 26-for-35 at the charity stripe, and dominated the interior with a plus-6 advantage on inside scoring and plus-9 edge in rebounding, including plus-13 on offensive rebounds. Defensively, UAB allowed the Bulldogs to shoot 43.8 percent overall and 40 percent from beyond the arc but forced 12 turnovers that resulted in 17 points.

Jordan “Jelly” Walker, the nation’s third-leading scorer at 23.8 ppg, was not available due to a minor foot injury.

“We knew he wasn’t going,” Kennedy said. “We tried to keep that under wraps as long as possible for game-planning.”

Eric Gaines took on the scoring load, finishing with a team-high 22 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 4-for-9 on 3-point attempts, and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, hitting 6 free throws in the final 4:20. He added 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals while giving up only 2 turnovers.

“He was terrific early in the game, although we weren’t paying it off,” Kennedy said. “The second half, he tried to make plats and took a couple of charges.”

Toney had 8 points and 4 rebounds and nailed a game-tying 3-pointer with 3:25 remaining, highlighting a 19-4 closing run by the Blazers. He also forced a turnover by LA Tech on an in-bounds pass with 21 seconds left that ultimately resulted in a foul on Gaines, who scored the final 4 points of the game on free throws.

“Improbable, but quite frankly, we knew where the help was coming and that’s where I wanted him,” Kennedy said. “I know his heart, how hard he works and his competitive spirit. The biggest reason Tony was in the game is because, defensively, he’s a playmaker.”

Trey “The Mayor” Jemison, Tavin Lovan and Ty Brewer all scored 11 points and were instrumental in recovering from a 10-2 run that saw LA Tech take an 8-point lead with 4:46 remaining in the game. Jemison came up one board shy of a third straight double-double, producing 11 points and 9 rebounds, and Lovan and Brewer combined for 9 rebounds.

“We had a number of different guys, none bigger than at the end,” Kennedy said. “What a performance in the last two minutes for Ty Brewer. Big time put-back on a miss and knocks down a big 3.”

Lovan fouled out in the final minute but was crucial on the defensive end as he tied with Jemison for a plus-20 in the plus/minus category.

“I went back to some familiar faces,” Kennedy said. “Tavin helped us in this building before.”

Both teams battled throughout the first half before the Bulldogs closed out with a 12-8 run to take a slim 35-34 lead into the halftime break.

The Blazers opened the second frame on a 10-0 run, building a 44-35 lead, but LA Tech stormed back on an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to a single point. Neither team held an advantage midway through the fina; frame but the Bulldogs finally took control on a 10-2 run, holding a 70-62 lead with 3:58 left in the game.

A pair of free throws by Gaines jumpstarted an 11-0 run that saw the Blazers reclaim a 73-70 lead with 2:25 remaining. LA Tech was able to tie the game and take a 1-point lead with less than a minute left but UAB closed out the frame with an 8-0 run to end its 3-game losing streak.

Ledarrius Brewer, Javian Davis and Efrem “Butta” Johnson all had 5 points, combining for 8 rebounds and Brewer adding 4 assists, and KJ Buffen had 3 points and 5 rebounds.

The Blazers finish off a two-game road swing against Middle Tennessee State, Monday, Jan. 16, at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.