Twenty-six seconds of absolute chaos.

That’s just what the UAB basketball team is going to be this season, at least according to its head coach.

Following a go-ahead 3-pointer by Efrem “Butta” Johnson, off an assist from Eric Gaines, disarray ensued with missed shots, long rebounds and even a turnover for extra tension.

“The loose rebounds, Eric threw the long pass and I got knocked down to the ground at that moment,” Johnson said. “I was trying to get up as fast as I could and happy to come away with a tough win. It’s always a relief, no matter who you play.”

The Blazers rallied from a 16-point deficit in the first half and held on for dear life in the final seconds to secure an 80-77 victory over Alcorn State, Thursday, Nov. 16, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.

“Wow, again, wow,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “A lot of work to do but certainly anytime you can get a win, you take it. Coach (Gene) Bartow was out of this building (quick) and I’m going to get out of here pretty quick as well, just in case they want us to come back on the floor and review it.”

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UAB (2-2) started 0-of-5 from the field, suffered through an 0-for-8 stretch in the second half, but made its final five shots to finish 47.4 percent overall and 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from 3-point range. Along with a 19-for-28 performance at the charity stripe, UAB owned the boards with a plus-7 edge in rebounding but gave up 18 turnovers that resulted in 33 points for Alcorn State.

The Blazers built as much as a 12-point lead five minutes into the second half — Johnson igniting a 15-2 run on his opening triple — but a 16-2 run allowed the Braves to retake the lead, 72-68, with 3:52 remaining in the game. Eric Gaines scored seven of UAB’s next nine points to pull ahead 77-74 before Alcorn State tied the game on a triple from Jalen Hawkins.

“Turnovers, lackadaisical with the ball,” Kennedy said. “Ridiculous. But we’ll take the win.”

Johnson finished with a career-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers range, and broke a 77-all stalemate on his game-winning shot. Isolated in the corner, Johnson took an open pass from Gaines, who drew the defense on a baseline drive, and nailed his fourth triple of the game to give the Blazers an 80-77 lead ahead of the impending bedlam.

“I have to thank God for putting me in that position,” Johnson said. “You have to have that confidence. Every single day, I’m in the gym getting shots up and working on my game. When coach called the play, I knew Eric would get me the ball and I knew it was going in as soon as I shot it.”

UAB fell behind 23-7 midway through the opening frame but pulled to within a possession on a 19-6 run powered by Alejandro Vasquez, who had a career-high 25 points with four rebounds and two assists.

“He continues to become that primary scorer that we need,” Kennedy said.

Alcorn State managed to pull ahead for a 10-point advantage, with less than four minutes remaining in the half, but Johnson and Vasquez, along with SEC transfers James White and Barry Dunning Jr., combined on a 13-4 run to close the gap to 42-41 entering the halftime break.

“The frustrating thing for me as the coach is we know exactly who Alcorn is,” Kennedy said. “They are a team we played in my first game here and it was Coach (Landon) Bussie’s first game at Alcorn, and he’s won their league the last two years. They play this frantic style and they blitzed us early.”

Gaines finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals, followed by White with nine points, five boards and two steals. Javian Davis, Yaxel Lendeborg and Dunning had four points each and combined for 17 rebounds.

The Blazers hit the road to face former CUSA rival Middle Tennessee State, Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.