Yaxel Lendeborg’s 18-point, 10-rebound double-double was for naught, as the UAB Blazers’ 3-of-17 three-point shooting performance dragged them to an 89-81 loss against Longwood in the opening game of the Paradise Jam tournament.

The Blazers dropped to 3-3 on the season, and will face the loser of McNeese vs. Illinois State Saturday at 2 p.m. CT.

Birmingham’s frontcourt continues to find themselves in foul trouble as Lendeborg only saw nine minutes in the first half, eventually fouling out with seconds left in the game and Christian Coleman, who had 14 points and four rebounds, fouled out with under three minutes left in the game.

Forward Bradley Ezewiro was ejected early in the second half, leaving Andy Kennedy to rely on sophomore Will Shaver getting some surprise minutes.

Lendeborg continues to thrive in the second half of games this season, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the final 20 minutes of the game, and was nearly the Blazers’ lone source of consistency on offense down the stretch.

Guard Ja’Borri McGhee has heated up as of late for Kennedy’s squad and came up big again today, adding 16 points and four assists on 7-of-9 shooting in 35 minutes on the floor.

The Blazers’ other backcourt transfer, Greg Gordon, was unable to make the trip to the Virgin Islands for the tournament due to I.D. issues and will be unavailable for the remaining two games.

Longwood extended their win streak and is now 6-0 on the season, as they look to return to the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row.

The Lancers were led in scoring by Michael Christmas, whose three-pointer to put them up five with under a minute to go all but putting the game out of reach for UAB. Christmas finished with 15 points.