If not for a late 3-pointer in the first half, KJ Buffen would have outscored the opponent all by himself.

The junior forward for the UAB basketball team would have to settle for a 15-13 personal disadvantage following the first 20 minutes of action but was not without help from a depleted but spirited roster.

The Blazers had four players score in double figures and never trailed in their 70-52 victory over Rice, Saturday, Jan. 28, at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston, Texas.

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UAB entered the game at 83 in the NCAA NET, 77 in KenPom, and improves to 15-7 overall and 6-5 in C-USA with its Quad-2 road win over the Owls.

“Really proud of this group,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy told David Crane on Blazer Sportsline postgame. “Obviously, we’ve had some adversity and it hasn’t let up. Their spirit was great and they worked defensively. Boy, were we disruptive.”

Jordan “Jelly” Walker, the nation’s second-leading scorer (23.8 ppg), was not available for a fifth straight game due to a foot injury. Javian Davis and Ty Brewer did not make the trip due to being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team.

“Jelly is getting closer but not ready just yet,” Kennedy said. “We had to leave a couple of kids at home for not representing the brand.”

The Blazers shot 43.1 percent overall, 42.9 percent from 3-point range (6-of-14), and were 14-for-19 at the charity stripe. Defensively, UAB held the Owls to 33.3 percent from the field, 30.8 percent on 3-pointers, and dominated the interior with a plus-13 edge in rebounding.

“It really wasn’t about anything other than grit, determination and perseverance,” Kennedy said.

KJ Buffen logged his fifth double-double of the season, producing 20 points and 10 rebounds, along with 3 assists and 3 steals, and Ledarrius Brewer had a season-high 20 points while adding 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

“His (Buffen) numbers were good but I don’t think he’s ever taken 16 shots,” Kennedy said. “We were going to him because he knocked down that big 3 and made another in the second half. Really proud of him and all our guys.”

The Blazer shot out to a 9-2 lead midway through the opening half and held Rice without a made basket for the first 7:23 of the contest. Buffen scored the first 9 points for UAB and gave way to Brewer in the latter portion of the period. The former ETSU transfer scored 11 points during a five-minute stretch that saw the Blazers grow their lead to as many as 21 points before taking a 33-15 lead into the halftime break.

“They’re (Rice) really good, a rhythm team,” Kennedy said. “If you allow them to establish that rhythm based on the offense that they run – we were trying to be aggressive and disruptive. All the guys were locked-in and connected.”

Trey Jemison logged his sixth double-double of the season and fifth in the last seven games, scoring 10 points and collecting 12 rebounds while adding 3 steals, and Eric Gaines finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the free-throw line.

UAB held the Owls to 21 percent overall in the first half but Rice found success in the final period. However, the Blazers maintained control throughout the second half and never allowed the lead to slip below 15 points with Gaines scoring 6 points in the final two minutes.

Tavin Lovan finished with 2 points, 3 assists and 3 steals, followed by Efrem “Butta” Johnson with 3 points and 3 rebounds. Rongie Gordon contributed 2 points and 3 rebounds.

The Blazers return home to face No. 21 FAU, Thursday, Feb. 2, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.