KJ Buffen prefers his rice steamed.
Neither boiled nor fried but still at a disadvantage to Buffen’s insatiable hunger on the interior for the UAB basketball team.
Buffen and the Blazers served up a side dish of revenge -- gazpacho style – as they had five players score in double digits and two record double-doubles in a 92-68 victory over Rice, Thursday, Feb. 17, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.
“Terrific offensive play for our group,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy said. “Defensively, the second half, I thought we lost a little bit of our edge but were tremendous out of the gate. Multiple contributions for a number of guys.”
UAB entered the game holding position in the top 50 of both KenPom (47) and the NCAA NET (48) and improves to 20-6 overall and 10-3 in league play, setting up a crucial divisional showdown against first-place North Texas. The Blazers are currently in a second-place tie with Louisiana Tech, whom they own the current tiebreaker, and two games behind the Mean Green.
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The Blazers shot 59 percent overall, 40 percent from 4-point range, and dominated the inside with a +28 advantage in the paint and a +10 edge on the glass. Defensively, they held the Owls to 46 percent from the field, 33 percent in the first half, and scored 19 points off 16 turnovers (10 steals).
Buffen was glue on the glass, recording 11 rebounds, and scored 17 points to record his seventh double-double of the season, adding four assists and two steals. He was 8-for-13 from the field led the Blazers with a 28 in plus/minus.
“Honestly, I just keep going, every possession,” Buffen said. “That’s what my coaches tell me and try to get in my head. Keep going every play.”
Additionally, Buffen recorded his 1,000th career point on a dunk during the first half. Oddly enough, he remembers only two buckets in a vivid manner.
“Definitely the first one and the 1,000th one, those are two big milestones for me,” he said.
Quan Jackson finished with a game-high 21 points and came up one board shy of a double-double for the second straight game. He added nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals and was 9-for-11 on field goals and 2-of-2 on 3-pointers.
UAB jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the first four minutes of the opening half and expanded the lead by as much as 18 points before entering the break with a 14-point advantage. The second half was not dissimilar from its predecessor as the Blazers opened up on a 13-4 run, stretching the lead to as many as 30 points with three minutes remaining and securing their 20th win of the season.
Jordan “Jelly” Walker produced the first double-double of his UAB career, logging 10 points and 12 assists to go along with two steals and a block. His assist totals were the most by any player in a single game in C-USA this season.
“He still got his 13 shots,” Kennedy said. “They played that triangle-and-two and (Travis) Evee, their point guard, picks up his third foul. They’re really dependent on Evee playing heavy minutes and the second half they had to be a bit softer on the defensive end to keep him in the game. They play a lot of triangle-and-two and Jelly did a great job of staying within of what we were trying to do.”
“I don’t know if they failed geometry but it was not a very good triangle,” he added.
Tavin Lovan came off the bench for 10 points and three rebounds and Mike Ertel finished with 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting, including a 2-of-3 mark from 3-point range.
“I’m trying to get him (Lovan) and Mike (Ertel) some life,” Kennedy said. “Sometimes as a coach, you just want to change the perspective of guys that have not been in their best rhythm. Mike and Tavin both responded with the change.”
Kennedy emptied the bench in the final minutes and Ryan Donohoo made his college debut, assisting Jon Coleman on a 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining in the game.
UAB wraps up a two-game homestand, Saturday, Feb. 19, against division-leading North Texas at Bartow Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Stadium.