The UAB basketball team is one win away from making a return trip to the Big Dance.

Following a round of technical fouls midway through the second half, the Blazers bolted out to a double-digit lead and held on for a 93-83 victory over South Florida in the AAC tournament semifinals, Saturday, March 16, at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Excited that we’re not having to go home,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “This is the ultimate survive and advance for us. Really proud of my group in the way they’ve grown throughout the course of the season, the way that we’ve been able to respond to adversity and the way that we’ve been able to bounce back. That was not who we were a couple of months ago, but it’s definitely who we’ve evolved into and that’s just a direct tribute to these guys on my left as well as those teammates in that locker room.”

UAB (22-11, 12-6 AAC) entered the game at 107 in the NCAA NET rankings and earned a Quad-2 win over the Bulls (73) while advancing to its third straight conference title game and winning its 100th game in four seasons under Kennedy.

“Physical game against the team that won the league in a pretty dominating fashion,” Kennedy said. “Kudos to them for a terrific season and my hope is that they have an opportunity to continue into postseason play. I think they certainly deserve that.”

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The Blazers shot 53.3 percent from the field and were 7-of-19 on 3-pointers and 22-of-30 at the charity stripe. UAB allowed the Bulls to shoot 40.6 percent overall and 15-of-38 from 3-point range, but dominated the paint with a plus-7 edge on the glass and a plus-22 advantage on interior scoring.

“It’s just who we are,” Kennedy said. “Points in the paint are a huge factor for us and we get to the foul line. That’s who we are and it’s how we’re built and designed to play.”

Efrem “Butta” Johnson finished with a career-high 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including a 3-of-5 mark from 3-point range. He capped a closing 8-0 run in the first half with four straight points and knocked down two 3-pointers to give UAB a double-digit advantage only three minutes into the second half.

Johnson was also 8-of-9 from the free-throw line and 6-of-6 during a 13-2 run midway through the second half, pushing the UAB lead back to double digits after South Florida had tied the game on a 9-0 run.

“We came out a little jittery, rushing certain shots,” Johnson said. “Coming back out in the second half, we found out how they were playing defensively and saw the schemes they were using. We were able to calm down, play our game and knock down shots. That’s what we needed to do and we came out with a good win.”

Eric Gaines had 20 points on a 6-of-11 shooting performance from the field, including a perfect 6-of-6 showing at the foul line, and added four rebounds, five assists and two steals with only two turnovers. He jumpstarted bookending 8-0 runs in the first half and capped a game-sealing 9-0 run in the final moments with a layup and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions.

“You got to stay composed, you know,” Gaines said. “There was pressure in the whole game and they were forcing me to my left. I saw an opening and tried to put them on my back and made the layup. On the three, it just came down to the last-second shot. I saw the shot clock, put it up and it went in. Thank God and we got the win.”

Yaxel Lendeborg produced 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with four assists, three blocks and two steals, to set the UAB record for double-doubles (18) in a single season. He also set a new AAC single-season rebounding record (347) in passing South Florida’s Alexis Yetna, who set the record during the 2018-2019 season.

“When we brought Yax here, did not know he was going to shatter every record as it relates to rebounding the ball,” Kennedy said. “We did feel like he had an opportunity to come in and be a very, very valuable contributor and that’s what he’s done. Everybody on our team has contributed to us sitting here still alive.”

After jumping out to an early 8-0 lead in the first half, UAB allowed the Bulls to respond with a 16-2 run to take a 16-10 lead almost halfway through the opening period. Lendeborg ignited an 11-3 run to retake the lead and the Blazers closed out the half on an 8-0 run to take a 38-30 lead into the break.

“In the first half, they were 3-for-18 versus our 1-3-1,” Kennedy said. “In the second half, they started figuring it out. Early, it kept them out of rhythm. They are such a rhythm team and their spacing is so good and their skill level is so good. We continue to try to mix and match just to keep them out of rhythm. They still made some plays, but I thought mission accomplished for us.”

The second half opened with a 3-point explosion from both sides and back-to-back triples from Johnson and Alejandro Vasquez pushed the UAB advantage to 14 points, not four minutes into the period. South Florida responded with a 12-4 run to cut the lead down to six points and tied the game on a 9-0 run following a 3-pointer from Daniel Ortiz.

“We have to be timely in our shot-making and I think we were,” Kenned said. “EG with a huge three and Butta with a huge three when we desperately needed it. They’re (South Florida) very physical, especially on the perimeter, and at times I thought we were giving in to the initial pressure. Once we started puncturing the paint, getting through it, we had some opportunities in the back and we’re able to finish.”

Lendeborg snapped a 3:48 scoring drought with a layup plus an and-1 opportunity and a technical foul was called on the South Florida bench, resulting in an 11-0 run powered by a 6-for-6 showing at the line by Lendeborg and Johnson.

South Florida hit an 8-2 run to cut the lead down four points with 4:53 remaining but Christian Coleman kick-started an 11-2 run that was capped on Gaines’ back-to-back shots. Coleman and Lendeborg sealed the game on consecutive dunks inside the final minute.

“We just kept our composure,” Johnson said. “Coach tells us all the time, stay true to yourself. When the guys get kind of rattled, as a leader on the team, I try to keep the guys together so we can just get the win the easy way and not going to technical fouls and all the other stuff. Play your best game and be the best version of yourself.”

Vasquez, who was ejected early in UAB’s quarterfinal win over Wichita State, had a solid bounce-back effort with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists, and Christian Coleman had 15 points and five rebounds before fouling out on a technical in the final minute.

Javian Davis had three points and eight rebounds before also fouling out on a technical late in the second half. There were a total of four technical fouls called, two assessed to each side, and Chris Youngblood fouled out for South Florida.

“Everybody continues to make plays when plays are needed to be made,” Kennedy said. “We’re playing the ultimate game of rhythm. You try to establish yours and you try to disrupt theirs and our guys have done a tremendous job down the stretch of doing just that.”

The Blazers advance to face Temple in the AAC tournament title game, Sunday, March 17, at Dickies Arena. Tip-off is set for 2:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.