If Rutgers shot like this more often, Mike Rice would have no reason to raise his voice.
With their suspended coach sitting out the first of three games without pay due to a violation of athletic department policy that allegedly included throwing basketballs at players heads during practice and using vulgar langauge, the Scarlet Knights shot a blistering 60 percent from the field in a commanding 88-79 victory over UAB at the RAC Sunday afternoon.
“Guys came in jacked, they were ready to play and they were to prove as a team, as as a unit, we were going to stick together, we were going to weather this storm and truly share the game,” interim coach David Cox said.
Rutgers led wire-to-wire, raced out to leads of 14-4, 25-9 and 35-11, and held off a few UAB rallies to improve to 7-2. The Scarlet Knights made their first 10 shots and 15 of their first 16.
“I knew we were shooting well, I didn’t know we were shooting that well,” sophomore guard Myles Mack said. “We kept making great plays and [didn’t] force anything.”
Sophomore guards Myles Mack and Eli Carter led the charge, with 23 and 20 points, respectively, Dane Miller added 10 points and seven rebounds and Kadeem Jack chipped in nine points and five rebounds.
Mack and Carter, the two former St. Anthony of Jersey City teammates, were the offensive stars. They combined to make 19 of 20 free throws and miss just seven shots from the field. Mack shot 6-of-9 from the field and sank four 3-pointers.
The duo put UAB (5-6) away late, combining on a 13-5 run that turned a seven-point lead into a 87-72 cushion with under a minute left. Jordan Swing scored 23 points for UAB and Preston Purifoy added 20.
“We weren’t thinking about anything but to play basketball, have fun and have each other’s back,” Miller said. “For example, every time someone fell on the floor or dove on the floor, everyone ran over to help them up.”
zbraziller@nypost.com