UAB basketball senior center Trey Jemison has exceptional muscle memory.

Clinging to a 1-point lead in the final minute, Eric Gaines rebounded a miss on a 3-point attempt from the opposition and drove the left inside lane for what he hoped would be a backbreaking bucket with mere seconds remaining in the game.

He made it halfway to the basket before being forced to release an early shot that bounced off the back rim.

Without hesitation, Jemison rose above the surrounding bodies and tipped the ball directly into the basket for the game-clinching score.

“To be honest, I wasn’t trying to tip it in,” Jemison said. “I was trying to tip it to my left hand and grab it, but the goal is always to tip it to the rim. Practice makes perfect.”

The Blazers had five players in double figures but had to hold off a furious second-half rally to earn a 76-72 victory over FIU, Saturday, Feb. 4, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.

“We’ll certainly take it,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “When you get to February, they don’t say ‘How,’ they say ‘How many?’ We’re certainly not going to give it back to them but we tried. Everybody knows the elephant in the room — 22 turnovers in your own building. Fortunate to escape.”

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UAB entered the game at 67 in the NCAA NET, 70 in KenPom, and improves to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in C-USA while extending its current winning streak to four games.

The Blazers shot 48.3 percent overall, 37.5 percent from 3-point range (6-of-16), and were 12-for-16 at the charity stripe. UAB tied a season-high 22 turnovers, resulting in 17 points, but held the Panthers to 43.8 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc while owning a plus-18 edge in rebounding.

Jemison finished with his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, and made the most crucial play of the game with a tip-in off a missed basket with nine seconds remaining in the game, forcing the Panthers into a 3-pointer or bust mentality on the final possession.

“Our guys hung in there,” Kennedy said. “It’s certainly not good for my blood pressure but it’s good to be in those stressful situations where jelly and Eric are not playing really well. We’re searching for someone to step up and make a play. We needed that break to continue this streak.”

Leading by 16 points with 8:02 remaining in the game, following an 8-0 run, UAB allowed an 18-2 run by the Panthers to tie the game at 70-all at the 2:24 mark of the second half. A 3-pointer from Jordan “Jelly” Walker on the corner gave the Blazers a 3-point lead but a quick jumper from FIU’s Denver Jones cut the UAB lead to 73-72 with 1:32 to play.

On the next FIU possession, Nick Guadarrama missed a 3-point attempt that was rebounded by Eric Gaines, who missed his own shot on the ensuing UAB series before Jemison tipped the rebound in for a 3-point lead with 9 seconds remaining. Guadarrama shot an airball on the Panther’s final opportunity and Walker made 1-of-2 free throws to ice the game in the final second.

KJ Buffen had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, and also passed up contested shots for made baskets from teammates. Javian Davis had one of his most efficient games this season, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and adding 4 rebounds.

“He (Davis) is a good post scorer,” Kennedy said. “Between him and Trey at that 5 spot, together they go for 23 points and 15 rebounds. That’s a pretty good night at the 5.”

Jordan “Jelly” Walker had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists, and Eric Gaines produced 2 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. However, both combined for 15 of UAB’s 22 turnovers.

“They (FIU) were running and jumping,” Kennedy said. “All they were doing was extending and running and jumping. They took the ball from us in one-on-one situations, we stepped out of bounds — it was a comedy of errors.”

Both teams battled to an 8-all tie in the first five minutes of action but the Blazers took control on a 17-6 run that saw FIU endure two three-minute scoring droughts. UAB hit a 10-0 run after building a 23-14 lead, extending its advantage to as many as 19 points, but the Panthers closed out with a 14-9 run to trim the Blazers’ halftime lead to 14 points.

Tavin Lovan had 4 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, followed by Tony Toney with 2 points and 3 rebounds, and Ty Brewer finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds.

The Blazers hit the road for a one-game turnaround against North Texas, Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.