Tavin Lovan may not have set many records during his UAB career but he’s worn the uniform more than anyone else in program history.

And he always saves his best when returning home to his native Kentucky.

Lovan had his best outing of the season, scoring a season-high in points, and helped lead the Blazers to a 72-60 victory over Western Kentucky, Saturday, Feb. 25, at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green.

UAB entered the game at 58 in the NCAA NET and improves to 22-8 overall and 13-6 in C-USA — winning 9 of its last 10 games — after splitting the regular-season series with the Hilltoppers.

“Defensively, we were good,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy told David Crane on Blazer Sportsline postgame. “Offensively, we missed some shots. I talk about this all the time, maybe fans think I make it up, but I read what my staff puts on a paper and (we were) 5-for-17 on clean looks.”

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The Blazers finished shooting at a 43.9 percent clip overall but only 26.3 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-19) and 9-for-15 at the charity stripe.

“You can overcome all of that when you guard with the intensity and with the consistency that we did tonight,” Kennedy said.

UAB held the Hilltoppers to 41.1 percent overall and 25 percent from 3-point range, forced 14 turnovers that resulted in 17 points and owned the interior with a plus-22 advantage on inside scoring.

Lovan was aggressive in his movements to the basket and was a stalwart on defense as well, finishing with a season-high 14 points and collecting five rebounds and two steals. He was also active in the passing game with four assists.

“He really played well,” Kennedy said. “I know this was important to him. The last time he’s going to play in Bowling Green and he’s got a lot of friends and family here. He was outstanding. Attacking the rim and keeping balls alive.”

Lovan was primarily tasked with defending Western Kentucky’s Dayvion McKnight and held him a point shy of his season low.

“We tried to put size on him (McKnight),” Kennedy said. “Sometimes he can overpower and we doubled him in the post. We made a concerted effort of going earlier and getting the ball out of his hands.”

Eric Gaines had a team-high 17 points off the bench, including three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and bookended a 14-2 game-clinching run that built as much as a 16-point lead for the Blazers in the second half.

Trey “The Mayor” Jemison logged his eighth double-double of the season — most in C-USA this season — on an even 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“He was really good on the defensive glass, most especially in the second half,” Kennedy said.

Jordan “Jelly” Walker, the nation’s third-leading scorer (23.0 ppg) entering the game, was held just shy of a new season-low, scoring eight points and adding two assists and three steals.

Javian Davis earned two and-1 opportunities in the game, converting both, and finished with eight points and five rebounds. KJ Buffen had nine points and seven boards, followed by Ty Brewer with eight points and three steals.

The Blazers conclude the regular season against Charlotte, Saturday, March 4, at Dale F. Halton Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for noon CT on Stadium.