* This is the 36th season of West Florida women's basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 488-458 (.516) in 942 games. UWF is 169-142 (.543) 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 6-4 on the season and has picked up three consecutive GSC wins, against Shorter, Mississippi College and No. 22 Delta State.
* West Florida is 1-1 on the season against ranked opponents after earning a three-point home win against No. 22 Delta State. The Argonauts opened the season with a loss at then-No. 20 Tampa.
* UWF sits in the middle of the GSC in scoring average and scoring defense on the year. The Argonauts have averaged 64.5 points per game and have allowed 61.7 points per game, which rank fifth and seventh in the conference, respectively.
* In their last game, the Argos scored 57 points on the top defense in Division II, Delta State, which was allowing less than 50 points per contest.
* The UWF defense has been a key to the team's success, as the Argos have gone 4-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer.
* Four Argonauts are averaging double-digit points for the team on the season. Junior Katie Bobos (13.5 ppg) leads the way, followed by junior guard Alex Coyne (10.7 ppg), sophomore Toni Brewer (10.4 ppg) and senior Jasmine Wigfall (10.2 ppg). Bobos also leads the squad on the glass with 8.6 rpg, while Brewer ranks second with 7.6 and 6-2 sophomore Kelly Preston stands in third with 6.4 per game.
ABOUT UNION
* Union boasts one of the most prolific offenses in D2 and leads the GSC in scoring at 78.1 points per game. Much of the Lady Bulldogs' success has come by taking care of the ball, as Union leads the GSC and ranks second in the nation with a 1.48 assist-to-turnover margin. Union ranks in the top 10 in D2 in turnovers per game (11.9; 7th), 3-point field goals per game (10.3; 3rd), scoring margin (21.8 ppg; 7th) and total assists (211; 7th). The Lady Bulldogs' lone loss came at Delta State on December 13, when the Lady Statesmen pulled out a 63-59 win.
* The Lady Bulldogs have three players who rank in the top 10 of the GSC in scoring this season, led by Tiara Caldwell. Caldwell averages 14.1 points per game, which ranks fifth in the conference, while Jada Smith and Chelsea Bodiford rank ninth and tenth, respectively. Union is the only team with three players in the GSC's top 10 in scoring, and the only team other than UWF to have two of the conference's top 10 rebounders.
SERIES HISTORY VS. UNION
* UWF and Union are meeting for the ninth time in women's basketball this weekend, with the Lady Bulldogs holding a 6-2 lead. UWF has split with Union in the last four regular-season matchups, dating back to the 2013-14 season. In those four games, UWF holds a 279-272 scoring advantage over the Lady Bulldogs.
* UWF and Union met in the NCAA Tournament last season, with No. 1 seed Union pulling out a 75-66 victory in the second round of the tourney. 2015 GSC Player of the Year Amy Philamlee led the Lady Bulldogs with 35 points and three steals, while senior Brianna Williams led the Argonauts with 20 points. Jasmine Wigfall and Kelly Preston each reached double digits as well, with both players scoring 12.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
* Christian Brothers has picked up GSC wins against West Georgia and Mississippi College on the season, but has also taken a nine-point loss against West Alabama and a 73-30 loss at Delta State. The Lady Bucs will play UWF for CBU's third game in six days on Monday, with games against Harding and Valdosta State coming on Wednesday and Saturday.
* Samantha Reeves (11.9 ppg) and Courtney Banks (11.3 ppg) lead the Lady Bucs in scoring, and the team holds a 54.8 points per game scoring average, which ranks last in the conference. The Lady Bucs have also posted the second-worst average scoring margin this year, at -9.6 points per game.
* In addition to Reeves and Banks, the Lady Bucs possess scoring threats inside and outside the arc. Rachel Lee has converted 51 percent of her tries from three-point range, which ranks second in the GSC, while Ashley Schaefer and Madison Luckett have combined to average 16 points and 13 rebounds per game down low.
SERIES HISTORY VS. CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
* West Florida is 6-4 all-time against Christian Brothers but just 2-3 in Canale Arena. UWF picked up a season sweep over the Lady Bucs last year for the first time since 2012 with two double-digit wins. Jasmine Wigfall recorded a double-double the last time these teams met, on February 12, 2015, in Memphis. Courtney Meyer led UWF with 16 points and added two blocks, while senior Brianna Williams scored 15 with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. The 63-51 victory was highlighted by a 17-2 run early in the second half for UWF.
BATTLING ON THE BOARDS
* UWF has outrebounded its opponents in 6 of the team's 10 games, and the Argos are 4-2 in those six games.
* The Argos have two players (Katie Bobos and Toni Brewer) who rank in the top five in the GSC in rebounding.
* nUWF's Kelly Preston and Courtney Meyer also rank in the top 20 in the GSC in rebounding, making UWF the only team with four of the conference's 20 best rebounders.
WIGFALL CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
* Senior guard Jasmine Wigfall enters the weekend game with 947 career points over 94 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 during the 2009-10 season.
* Wigfall has gone for double-digit points five times this year, scoring a season-high 18 against Alabama Huntsville on December 2.
* She has scored 36 of her 102 points at the free-throw line this season, and has converted on 75 percent of her chances from the charity stripe.
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.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
* West Florida is the only team in the GSC with four players who rank in the top 10 in the conference in scoring (Katie Bobos, Alex Coyne, Toni Brewer, Jasmine Wigfall).
* Coyne has the highest single-game scoring mark of the year, as she put up 24 against Lee on December 12. Coyne has also led UWF in assists in every game this season and sits at fourth in NCAA Division II with 7.1 assists per game. The Argos are 6-2 on the season when Coyne posts a positive assist/turnover ratio.
DEFENSE GETTING THE JOB DONE
* The West Florida defense stepped up against Shorter three games ago, holding Shorter to just 16 field goals and only six assists, both of which were season lows for UWF opponents.
* The Argonauts have held opponents to single-digit points in a quarter five times this season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
* Alex Coyne is averaging 7.1 assists per game, with at least six assists in seven of eight games this season. Coyne ranks second in the GSC in minutes played, and she's played at least 35 minutes in every game this season, with the exception of the season-opener against #20 Tampa.
* Toni Brewer played 33 minutes at Shorter (1 shy of her season high) and did not commit a foul.
* Kelly Preston has averaged 11.7 points and six rebounds per game over her last four contests while shooting .531 from the floor.
DOUBLING UP
* West Florida has seen nine double-doubles recorded over the team's first 10 games of the season, compared to just six such games before the Winter Break last season.
* Katie Bobos has been responsible for four of those double-doubles, while Toni Brewer has recorded two, and Alex Coyne, Kelly Preston and Courtney Meyer have posted one each.
* Meyer came just one block short of a triple-double on December 5 against North Alabama, as she tied a school record with 9 blocks against the Lions.
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.
