BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- — Eric Gaines' 17 points off of the bench helped lead UAB to a 72-60 victory against Western Kentucky on Saturday night.

Gaines shot 7 for 14, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Blazers (22-8, 13-6 Conference USA). Tavin Lovan added 14 points while shooting 6 of 9 from the field and 2 for 3 from the line, and he also had five rebounds. Trey Jemison recorded 10 points and shot 4 of 6 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line.

The Hilltoppers (15-14, 7-11) were led in scoring by Jairus Hamilton, who finished with 20 points. Dontaie Allen added 10 points for Western Kentucky. In addition, Emmanuel Akot had nine points and seven rebounds.

UAB took the lead with 1:11 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The score was 33-29 at halftime, with Javian Davis racking up eight points. UAB extended its lead to 55-39 during the second half, fueled by a 14-2 scoring run. Gaines scored a team-high nine points in the second half as their team closed out the win.

NEXT UP

UAB's next game is Saturday against Charlotte on the road, and Western Kentucky visits UTEP on Thursday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.