BIRMINGHAM – Tavin Lovan and Jalen Benjamin each scored 16 points as UAB got back on the winning track Thursday night in their 72-62 victory over WKU at Bartow Arena.
Makhtar Gueye scored a season-high 11 points along with seven rebounds and Tyreek Scott-Grayson added seven boards for the Blazers (10-6, 1-2 C-USA). Will Butler scored 11 points off the bench.
WKU (9-6, 2-1 C-USA) was led by Taveio Hollingsworth, who scored a game-high 19 points.
With WKU up 13-8 in the first half, UAB scored six points in 27 seconds and added a Lovan jumper to take a 16-13 lead at 10:47. The Blazers would lead the rest of the way as Jordan Brinson’s jumper sent the game into halftime with UAB ahead 31-25.
UAB came out the gates on fire in the second half, beginning things with a Lovan dunk, a Benjamin 3-pointer and back-to-back layups from Benjamin and Gueye to take a 13 point lead at 40-27 with 16:37 to go. The Hilltoppers would slowly chip away over the next eight minutes, cutting the deficit to one point with 5:26 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Lovan was fouled and WKU’s Jordan Rawls was assessed a technical foul, resulting in four straight made free throws for the Blazers and a five point lead. Hollingsworth would make it a one possession game after he answered with a jumper, but UAB responded with a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach.
As a team, UAB shot 51 percent from the floor, including tying a season-high with 29 field goals. The Blazers dominated the boards 41-29 and the paint 42-16. They turned eight WKU turnovers into 11 points.
“It was a great win for our guys, We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played connected and with a lot of energy,” said head coach Robert Ehsan.
“Tavin played a great game for us. He made arguably the most electric play of the season on his dunk, then he got a layup after that. Those were two momentum plays.”
Lovan’s dunk made it a three possession game and his layup put UAB ahead 66-57 with 2:03 left.
The Blazers remain at home and will host Marshall (8-8, 2-1 C-USA) on Saturday afternoon. The game will be nationally televised on Stadium and has a 2 p.m. tipoff. Lower level tickets can be purchased for $12 here.
Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1. Discounted group tickets and fan experiences are available for a minimum purchase of 20 tickets. To inquire about group tickets for the 2019-20 season, please contact Chris Curtis at (205) 934-3172 or ccurtis2@uab.edu.
Along with single game and group tickets which are already on sale, fans now have the option to purchase a four-game mini plan which offers the flexibility of attending any four Conference USA games at Bartow Arena for only $40 in the upper level. The C-USA Pick 4 Mini Plan can be purchased by clicking here or by calling the UAB Athletics Ticket Office at 205-975-UAB1.
