UAB Suffers 85-80 Road Setback at Rice

Saturday, January 8

Houston, Texas

3 p.m.

UAB

-134,31 CUSA

Rice

-95,21 CUSA

UAB

Rice

Photo by: Maria Lysaker

UAB Suffers 85-80 Road Setback at Rice

1/8/2022 6:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

HOUSTON – Rice erased a 10-point second-half deficit to hand the UAB men's basketball team its first Conference USA defeat of the 2021-22 season.

UAB (13-4, 3-1 C-USA) opened its largest lead of the game with 16:35 remaining in the second half when Jordan Walker drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner, forcing a Rice timeout. Walker finished the game with a team-high 20 points and seven assists, scoring 18 of those points in the final 20 minutes.

Rice (9-5, 2-1 C-USA) captured its first lead of the second half when Mylyjael Poteat, who finished the game with 18 points, converted an and-one opportunity to make it 60-59 Rice with nine minutes remaining in the game. The Blazers jumped back in front with a free throw make from Quan Jackson and a layup from Trey Jemison, but the Owls regained the lead for good at 65-64 when Travis Evee knocked down two free throws with 6:02 left on the clock.

Faced with a five-point deficit with 1:20 remaining, Walker kept the Blazers in striking distance with UAB's final 10 points of the contest. Walker trimmed the Blazers' deficit to a single possession three times, but UAB was unable to tie the game or jump ahead. A pair of free throws from Evee, who finished the matchup with a game-high 25, iced the game with one second remaining.

"If you don't operate right on the road and you don't execute, you're going to get beat," head coach Andy Kennedy said. "But you've got to give Rice credit, they have a number of guys who can make plays off the dribble."

Tavin Lovan helped spark UAB's offense in the first half, going 4-for-4 from the field with nine points in the opening 20 minutes. KJ Buffen posted yet another double-digit scoring performance in conference play with 11 first-half points, while Walker dished out four of his seven assists in the opening half.

The Blazers led for 12:43 in the opening 20 minutes, closing the half with a bucket at the buzzer when Walker found Buffen cutting to the basket with seconds left on the clock. Buffen's finish at the rim extended UAB's lead to 39-34 entering the break.

UAB posted 10 steals in Saturday's setback, marking its 10^th time in 17 games to reach double digits in the category. Lovan paced the Blazers with four steals in just over 26 minutes on the court.

Rice dominated the glass in the victory, posting a 38-27 advantage on the boards and a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points.

UAB had four Blazers reach double figures in scoring – Walker (20), Buffen (16), Lovan (14) and Jackson (13). Jemison led UAB with three blocks and six rebounds.

The Blazers will return to Bartow Arena to host Conference USA's Florida schools beginning on Thursday. UAB opens its week back in Birmingham against FIU on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will stream live on ESPN+.

MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET INFORMATION
UAB men's basketball single-game tickets start as low as $12 and can be purchased by clicking here or calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1.

Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 15 tickets to any home basketball game during the 2021-22 season. Groups are encouraged to complete the UAB Basketball Group Ticket Request Form or call the UAB Athletics Ticket Office for more information.