* 2015-16 marks the 36th season of women's basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 487-456 (.516) in 943 games. UWF is 168-140 (.546) in 21 seasons of Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts have made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including each of the last two seasons. UWF won its first-ever GSC Championship two years ago.
ABOUT UWF
* Fourth-year head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton has four starters and eight letterwinners back from last year's 20-win squad that finished second in the GSC regular season.
* In 2014-15 UWF advanced to the NCAA South Region Semifinals for the third time in school history and finished with its highest winning percentage (.670) since 2005-06. The Argos have won 39 games in the two previous seasons.
* UWF is 3-3 on the season following last week's split against Alabama Huntsville and North Alabama to open Gulf South Conference play. The Argos are scoring 61.7 ppg (8th in GSC) while allowing 60.7 ppg (6th in GSC).
* The Argos are shooting 37.8 pct from the floor, which ranks eighth in the GSC. They are shooting 32.9 pct from outside which is fifth in the league, but their 3.8 made 3FGs per game are among the lowest in the nation, ranking 255th. UWF has been very effective at the free throw line, making 77.3 pct - a figure that is second in the GSC and 18th nationally.
* A trio of players in junior Katie Bobos (13.0 ppg), sophomore Toni Brewer (11.2 ppg) and senior Jasmine Wigfall (11.0 ppg) are all averaging double figures in scoring for UWF. Bobos leads the squad on the glass with 7.7 rpg, followed closely by Brewer at 7.5 rpg and 6-foot-2 sophomore Kelly Preston with 6.7 per game.
ABOUT LEE
* The Flames are 5-3 on the season following Thursday's 65-51 win over Valdosta State. Lee went 1-1 on the road last week against Christian Brothers and No. 11 Union during the GSC's opening weekend. Two of Lee's three losses are to ranked teams – a 69-57 loss to Union and a 81-63 loss to then-No. 4 Nova Southeastern in mid-November.
* Lee was picked third in the GSC preseason coaches' poll - behind Union and UWF - as the Flames earned two first-place and two second-place votes. Erin Walsh was a preseason All-GSC pick after averaging 14.4 points per game as a freshman in 2014-15.
* Walsh has kept up her scoring, putting up 13.4 points per game so far and shooting 36 percent from three-point range. Senior guard Kayla Beavers is another outside threat for Lee, as she has shot 40.8 percent from three this year, and went a combined 9-17 against Christian Brothers and Union last weekend.
* The Flames have dominated the boards thus far, as they have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 42-30 and have averaged more than 15 offensive rebounds per game. Lee ranks third in the GSC in scoring offense (69.7 points per game), but ranks ninth in the conference in points per game allowed (67.3).
SERIES HISTORY VS. LEE
* UWF and Lee are meeting for the fifth time in women's basketball this weekend, with the Flames holding a 3-1 lead. The Argos have droped both previous games at Walker Arena.
* The teams split their two matchups last season, with UWF claiming a 58-52 win in Pensacola on Dec. 13, 2014 and Lee securing a 88-75 victory in Cleveland, Tenn. on Jan. 29, 2015.
* LAST MEETING: Katie Bobos (18), Toni Brewer (15) and Jasmine Wigfall (14) all scored in double-figures, but UWF was outscored 58-26 in the paint in the loss. Lee shot 59 pct in the game and ourebounded UWF 37-30.
ABOUT SHORTER
* Shorter enters the weekend with a 4-1 record and a 1-1 mark in conference play. The Hawks have a pair of victories over Clark Atlanta, picked up a 10-point road win against Christian Brothers last week and has a 58-point win over Hiwassee earlier this season. SU also dropped a game to No. 11 Union last weekend, scoring a season-low 44 points in the contest.
* The Hawks received 43 points in this year's preseason GSC coaches' poll, which put them in ninth place. The poll did not rate the team as lowly as it may seem, however, as that point total kept them just six points behind fifth-place North Alabama.
* The Hawks have eight players averaging at least five points per game and rank second in the conference in scoring (73.4) and field goal percentage (.459). The Hawks rank third in the GSC shooting just under 40 percent from three, and they have held opponents to a 29.7 percent mark from beyond the arc.
* Shorter is led offensively by junior forward Taylor Adams, who ranks eighth in the GSC with 13.2 ppg and leads the league with 11.6 rpg entering the weekend. Adams is currently the only player in the conference averaging a double-double.
SERIES HISTORY VS. SHORTER
* Monday will mark the eighth games between UWF and Shorter in women's hoops. SU leads 4-3, but UWF has won three of the last four. The Hawks hold a 3-1 edge in the Winthrop-King Centre.
* The Hawks snapped a 3-game Argos win streak in the last meeting with a 82-78 upset in the first round of the 2015 Gulf South Conference Tournament in Pensacola. Jasmine Wigfall led the Argonauts with 18 points and went 10-for-10 at the free-throw line. Kelly Preston picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards, while Katie Bobos finished with 8 points and 11 boards.
* The last time the Argonauts visited Rome, Ga., they came away with a 69-62 win. Senior Brianna Williams scored 23, while adding seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
FREE THROW SHOOTING MAY BE KEY COMPONENT TO SUCCESS
* The UWF offense has been a bit eratic with its shooting this season, failing to produce consecutive 40-percent shooting games at any point through six contests. The Argonauts have been able to maintain leads or stay competitive with some very strong free throw shooting. UWF is converting at a 77.3 pct. clip entering Saturday's game, a figure that ranks second in the GSC (UAH) and 18th nationally.
* The Argos have been especially efficient over the last three games, making 39-of-48 (81%) in those home outings.
MEYER, UWF HOST BLOCK PARTY IN WIN OVER UNA
* Sophomore forward Courtney Meyer tied a UWF single-game record with nine blocks against North Alabama last Saturday. Meyer also added 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, putting her just a block away from a triple-double.
* The record Meyer tied is held by UWF's all-time leading shot-blocker Melissa Nafzger, who achieved the feat twice during the 2005-06 year.
* Meyer's nine blocks are the most in Division II this year, and are the third-most in GSC single-game history.
* UWF added four more blocks as a team, giving the Argos 13 for the game, marking the fifth-most in GSC single-game history.
* UWF ranks 37th in the country with 4.3 blocks per game and Meyer ranks 36th with 14 total blocks on the season.
WIGFALL CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
* Senior G Jasmine Wigfall enters the weekend game with 911 career points over 90 games. If she hits the 1k mark, she would be just the 10th player in program history to achieve the milestone and the first since Amy Drake suring the 2009-10 season.
COYNE DROPPING DIMES
* Junior transfer Alex Coyne has definitely made her presence felt at the PG spot thus far. Since transferring from Southern Miss over the summer, the Pittsburgh, Pa. product has averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game. She is currently ranked second in the GSC and ninth in the country in helpers.
* As good as she is with the ball, she has proven to be just as dangerous without it, collecting a team-high 19 steals for a 3.2 per game average. That ranks second in the GSC and 20th in the country.
AT HOME IN THE FIELD HOUSE
* After playing its first three games away from home, UWF went 2-1 on its season-long 3-game homestand. The Argos have gone 24-9 at the UWF Field House over the past three seasons (2-1 in 2015-16 & 11-4 each of the past two years).
JAN. 23 DOUBLEHEADER AT UAH TO BE TELEVISED NATIONALLY ON ASN
* The UWF basketball programs will receive some national exposure when their games at Alabama Huntsville on Jan. 23 will be televised as part of the American Sports Network's Division II Basketball Showcase.
* To accommodate the television broadcast of the doubleheader, the women's game will now tip-off at 1 p.m. followed by the men's contest at 3 p.m.
* The games will stream live on NCAA.com and the NCAA Sports Mobile App. WFGX MyTV 35 in Pensacola/Mobile Ala. has carried ASN broadcasts in the past.
BREWER & WIGFALL NAMED PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE
* UWF sophomore Toni Brewer and senior Jasmine Wigfall were both among the 5-member preseason all-conference squad voted on by the GSC head coaches last month.
* Brewer is the reigning GSC Freshman of the Year after the guard from Huntsville, Ala. averaged 11.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in 2014-15.
* Wigfall – the lone inside player on the 5-member group – posted 12.1 points, 5.8 boards and 2.6 assists last season. The Orlando native is the second-highest returning scorer in the league.
UWF RECEIVED VOTES IN USA TODAY COACHES TOP 25 POLL
* UWF found itself among the other's receiving votes in the USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 preseason coaches poll. The Argos received 61 points and are the second team listed in the "others receiving votes." This marks the first time under fourth-year head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton that the team has received votes and the first since the final poll of the 2005-06 season.
* In early October, the Argonauts were tabbed 24th-nationally by the Women's Division II Bulletin in their preseason top-25 poll. UWF was one of just two South Region teams in the ranking, joining No. 3 Nova Southeastern.
UWF PICKED 2ND IN GSC POLL
* UWF was picked to finish second in the Gulf South Conference preseason coaches poll. The Argonauts received 91 total poll points and a league-high six (of 11) first place votes. Defending champion Union was picked first with 92 points and three first place votes.
NEW LOOK FOR UWF FIELD HOUSE FLOOR
* The UWF Field House floor received a new paint scheme over the summer, with an emphasis on cleaner design and less color. The court now features a darker wood stain in the lane and a similar darker stained GSC logo near midcourt on opposite sides of the floor.
* The Argonaut head at midcourt remained in color as did the navy blue border that surrounds the court.
* Social media identifiers of '#GoArgos' and '@GoArgos' were placed in front of the bench areas.
NCAA RULES CHANGES
* The NCAA made a number of rules changes to both the men's and women's games this season. Some of the more visible changes in the women's game include:
* Periods - Playing time for games shall consist of four ten-minute periods.
* Option to Advance the Ball - When a timeout is charged to the offensive team during the last 59.9 seconds of the fourth period and/or any extra period(s), the team has the option to advance the throw-in spot to the 28-foot mark in the front court on the same side of the court as the scorers' table.
* In games using electronic-media timeouts, each team will have three 30-second timeouts and 1 full timeout (60 seconds in length). There is one electronic-media timeout in each period. The break between the first and second, as well as between the third and fourth periods, may be used as an electronic-media timeout. The first team-called timeout in the second half will becomes an electronic-media timeout.
* Free Throws - A team is awarded two free throws for each common foul beginning with the fifth team foul in a period.
* 10-Second Back Court - The 10-second count shall reset on all stoppages of the game clock except when the defense causes the ball to be out of bounds, the offense retains possession after a held ball, or there is a technical foul assessed to the offensive team.
* Officiating Guidelines - Displacement - When an offensive post player with her back to the basket in the lane area is in control of the ball, a post defender may only place one forearm or one hand with a bend in the elbow on the offensive player.
