A slow start for the UAB basketball team grew into an offensive onslaught over visiting FIU in an impressive bounce-back victory following an upset loss at Rice last weekend.
The Blazers had four players in double figures as they rallied in the first half and dominated the second half in their 84-56 victory over FIU, Thursday, Jan. 13, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.
“Looked lethargic to start the game,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “Obviously we were disappointed in the way that we played in Houston on Saturday. I doubled down on that on Monday and Tuesday because I felt like it was an opportunity for us to realize who we are. If we take the right approach, we have a chance to be a good team. If we don’t, these things will happen more frequently than we care to admit.”
UAB entered the game holding its position in the top 50 of both the KenPom (48) and NCAA NET (45) rankings and improves to 14-4 overall and 4-1 in league play.
The Blazers shot 47 percent overall, an impressive 48 percent on 3-pointers, and scored 21 points off 15 forced turnovers. Defensively, they held FIU to 35 percent overall, 23 percent from 3-point range, and dominated the rebounding battle with a +14 advantage on the glass.
“We came into halftime not playing like how we play, lazy and not together,” Josh LeBlanc said. “We were really asleep in that first half. We came out the second half with a mission to string together some stops and we were able to accomplish that as a team.”
UAB had 16 offensive boards compared to FIU’s 20 defensive rebounds, giving the Blazers a second chance on 44.4 percent of their misses and resulting in 21 second-chance points.
“KenPom has us top 25 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, we go get it pretty good,” Kennedy said. “It’s really a tell-tale sign for us. At one time we were leading the nation in steals, which has really dropped off but the one stat that has been consistent for us (is offensive rebounding).”
Buffen recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds, adding three blocks and a steal. He helped jumpstart an 18-2 run that saw UAB rally from an 11-point deficit at the 9:58 mark of the first half and even hit his first 3-pointer of the season during a 15-2 run to open the second half.
Buffen was assessed a technical foul early in the first half and responded with no additional fouls for the duration of the game.
“I love the kid, love his spirit,” Kennedy said. “He’s starting to be able to come out of those things a little bit better. Earlier in the season, that would have led to three more fouls and he wouldn’t have played anymore. We need him on the floor. He’s got good basketball I.Q. and finishing at a high rate.”
Jordan “Jelly” Walker finished with a game-high 20 points, hitting 6-of-14 from 3-point range and contributing three rebounds and two assists. Walker’s second 3-pointer for the game gave UAB its first lead since holding an early 6-5 advantage.
Tavin Lovan was efficient on the offensive end, scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and added four rebounds. Mike Ertel had 10 points and Quan Jackson had nine points and four rebounds.
LeBlanc had eight points and seven rebounds, pushing the lead to more than 30 points on an emphatic slam dunk -- tying a bow on a 20-4 run -- with 8:46 remaining in the game.
“Bouncing back from Rice (loss) was good for us,” he said. “Now that we’re back in the win column, it’s only up from here for us.”
The Blazers finish off a two-game homestand against FAU, Saturday, Jan. 15, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on ESPN+.