Yaxel Lendeborg was knocking down triples and grabbing boards but his finest play did not involve a shot or a rebound.

With six seconds left on the clock, Lendeborg, along with Christian Coleman, set a perfect screen for Efrem “Butta” Johnson, who took a bounce pass from Eric Gaines before lifting off for a fade-away jumper with two seconds remaining.

“I felt like I got into a good zone,” Johnson said. “Coach trusted me and called plays down the stretch for me. When he trusts you like that, you got to have the ultimate confidence to take shots and put the team on your back.”

Johnson carried the burden in the waning moments as he scored the final 10 points for the Blazers, including the game-winner, in UAB’s 78-76 victory over UTSA, Tuesday, Jan. 2, at the Convocation Center in San Antonio.

“Proud of the win,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy told David Crane on postgame radio. “Come on the road and open American Conference play in a place that’s always been challenging. To come out with a two-point win, we’ll take it.”

UAB (9-5, 1-0 AAC) entered the game at 215 in the NCAA NET rankings and improves its winning streak to five games overall and five straight against the Roadrunners.

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The Blazers shot 40.6 percent overall, making a season-high 11 3-pointers, and were 15-of-18 on free throws. UAB also gave up 20 turnovers, resulting in 12 points, but, defensively, held the Roadrunners to 38.7 percent from the field and dominated the boards with a plus-14 edge in rebounding.

“I sit here and try to talk about our formula for success and that wasn’t it,” Kennedy said. “If we come in here and turn that thing over, the Blazers are going to go home sad. But we continue to do a good job on the glass and we win the free-throw line.”

Johnson finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, and scored the last 10 points for UAB in the final three and half minutes of action. He scored only two points in the first half but twice put the Blazers ahead in the final two minutes before scoring the game-winning basket with two seconds remaining.

“Butta really stepped for us, I’m trying to find somebody that has a little bit of offensive rhythm,” Kennedy said. “Butta made one and then we went back to him and we went back to him. I wanted to make sure we had the hot hand shooting the ball and he delivered. We had an action that got him a clean look at 16 feet, we were looking for an angle where he could get a natural fade and mission accomplished.”

Yaxel Lendeborg posted his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, and came shy of a triple-double in adding seven blocks. He entered the UTSA matchup only 1-of-9 from 3-point range but finished 5-of-6 on 3-pointers, along with a perfect 8-of-8 performance at the charity stripe.

“Are you kidding me, I don’t think he’s ever made five in practice,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think he’s made five since I met him but he made them tonight. We need him. There’s room for growth and he knows it.”

The first half opened with multiple runs as neither team gained a significant advantage, resulting in at most a five-point lead from each side. Lendeborg, who had 14 first-half points and nine rebounds, combined with Ortiz to cap a 12-5 run in the last three minutes but UTSA’s Dre Fuller Jr. drained a triple with 30 seconds left to take a 40-39 lead into the halftime break.

UTSA extended its lead to four points with a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the second half but the Blazers responded with a 9-2 run to take a 48-45 lead early in the frame. The Roadrunners countered on a 16-7 run to take its largest lead, 61-55, midway through the half.

Lendeborg and Johnson hit back-to-back triples to jumpstart a 13-3 run, the Blazers pulling ahead for its largest advantage at 68-64 with 4:58 remaining, but UTSA hit a 6-0 run to claim a 70-68 lead before Johnson’s late heroics.

Daniel Ortiz had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, followed by Gaines with 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Javian Davis produced four points and eight rebounds, before fouling out late, and Christian Coleman added six points and five boards.

The Blazers return home to host South Florida, Sunday, Jan. 7, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.