After the regular season, UAB head coach Robert Ehsan believed his team had one more run in them.

The run ended in the brick wall called Louisiana Tech.

Easily the conference's second-best team, the No. 2 seed Bulldogs took control of the No. 7 seed Blazers from the start and held on for an easy 69-57 win in the Conference USA Tournament quarterfinals at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

Louisiana Tech (23-9) advances to a 2:30 p.m. semifinal against Wednesday's late winner of Old Dominion and Marshall. UAB's season, in Ehsan's first year as head coach, ends at 17-16. The Blazers held off Charlotte in Wednesday's first-round game before losing to Louisiana Tech.

UAB hit just 34 percent of its shots.

"We just couldn't find a rhythm," said forward Chris Cokley, who had 12 rebounds and scored two off free throws but went 0-of-6 from the floor. "There wasn't really anything defensively going on. We just couldn't find a rhythm."

The first half was the killer. UAB went into the locker room trailing 31-18 to a team it beat 79-70 on Jan. 26.

"I didn't think fatigue was a factor," UAB head coach Robert Ehsan said after the Blazers' second game in as many days. "When we've struggled offensively, we've let it affect our energy as a team. We've gone through some halves and stretches offensively this year, especially in the last couple of weeks, where we really struggled to score.

"The last time we played them, they had 32 points at halftime. This time, they had 31. The difference is, we were up six then."

Prior to UAB's 18-point first half outburst, the season low for points in a half was 24 in the second half of the regular season finale against FIU, a 68-56 loss.

The Blazers shot just 21 percent (6-of-29) in the half.

Louisiana Tech started the second half on a quick 6-0 run after a couple of missed close shots by UAB and led by as many as 21. UAB clawed back, but the deficit was too much to overcome. Denzell Watts hit a runner to cut Tech's lead to 60-51, but it was too late.

Tech forward Erik McCree led the way with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Jalen Harris scored 17 and Jacobi Boykins 14.

Denzell Watts, William Lee and Dirk Williams each scored 13 to lead UAB. Lee missed his first eight shots before finishing 5-of-14. Starting guard Hakeem Baxter also went 0-for-6 from the floor.

"They are great offensive players," McCree said. "We just tried to be physical and not let them get any second-chance opportunities."

Ehsan said of the 12 threes UAB attempted in the first half, he thought only three or four were tough shots. Watts missed an open one on Thursday where he hit a similar one in UAB's first-round win over Charlotte at the beginning of the game.

"I thought when we got down six or seven points and then it got to 10, we were maybe trying to press a little bit," Ehsan said. "I don't know if there's a game we've had where Chris Cokley had zero field goals.

"In the second half, he missed two left-handed hooks from about five feet where he's one of the best in the country in field goal percentage. I didn't think it was for lack of effort. He was trying."

The loss ends the careers of five Blazer seniors - starting guards Watts, Hakeem Baxter and Dirk Williams and forwards Tosin Mehinti and Tyler Madison.

UAB won't play in any postseason tournament. Ehsan said the next big step is formulating a spring recruiting plan. UAB has two scholarships open to use for the next class.

"There are a lot of options out there," he said.