* This is the 36th season of West Florida women's basketball. UWF has an all-time record of 498-459 (.520) in 958 games. UWF is 179-142 (.558) 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.
* The UWF defense has been a key to the team's success, as the Argos have gone 9-0 when holding opponents to 60 points or fewer, including six times during their recent 7-game win streak. Last Thursday, North Alabama didn't surpass 60 points until a pair of free throws with 45 seconds to play.
ABOUT UWF
n 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.
* UWF stands at third in the GSC in scoring average and in the middle of the conference in scoring defense on the year. The Argonauts have averaged 65.2 points per game and have allowed 61.2 points per game, which ranks seventh in the conference.
* Katie Bobos, Toni Brewer and Alex Coyne rank in the top 20 in the GSC in scoring, and UWF is one of three teams (Lee, Union) with three of the conference's top 20 scorers.
* Brewer leads the squad on the glass with 8.0 rpg, followed by Bobos with 7.5, and forwards Kelly Preston and Courtney Meyer with 6.8 and 6.5 rebounds per game, respectively. UWF is the only team in the GSC with three of the top 10 rebounders in the conference.
* UWF ranks second in the GSC with 3.9 blocks per game, while Alex Coyne leads the conference and ranks fifth in Division II with 6.6 apg.
IT'S CROWDED AT THE TOP
* After opening GSC play with a 1-2 mark, UWF rattled off seven straight victories to find itself in a 5-way tie for first place. The Argos currently sit tied with Shorter for fourth place in the conference with an 9-4 record. Delta State and Union are tied for first at 11-2.
ABOUT LEE
* The Lee offense has stood near the top of the conference all year, as the Lady Flames have averaged 72.1 points per game.
* Lee leads the league in blocks per game, with 4.1. UWF stands at second in the conference with 3.9 bpg.
* Erin Walsh leads Lee and ranks third in the GSC with 17.1 points per game on the season. Much of Walsh's damage has come from beyond the arc, as the sophomore is second in the conference in 3-point field goals made and third in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage.
* Lee comes in as the top rebounding squad in the GSC, averaging a conference-best 42 boards per game, 13.9 offensive rpg and the top rebounding margin in the GSC.
SERIES HISTORY VS LEE
* UWF is 1-1 all-time against Lee in the UWF Field House and is just 1-4 against the Lady Flames overall.
* LAST MEETING: Junior guard Alex Coyne led West Florida in an 85-82 loss in Cleveland, Tenn. in December. Coyne scored a career-high 24 points and added eight assists. The Argonauts had some trouble in the first half, shooting just 12-of-30 (40 percent). UWF came out firing in the second half, shooting 52 percent overall, 93 percent from the free throw line and scoring a season-best 30 points in the 4th quarter.
ABOUT SHORTER
* The Lady Hawks will bring in a stingy defense that ranks second in the league in scoring. Shorter has held No. 18 Union, the top scoring offense in the GSC (76 ppg), to just 53 and 56 points in their two matchups.
* Shorter has held opponents to fewer than 60 points in 11 of 17 games this year.
* Junior forward Taylor Adams has been the top threat on both ends of the court for Shorter and is the only player in the GSC averaging a double-double (16.1 ppg/10.6 rpg). Adams leads the conference in rebounding and ranks fourth in scoring.
SERIES HISTORY VS SHORTER
* The Argonauts are 4-4 all-time against Shorter, and 2-2 in the UWF Field House. West Florida has also won four of the last five matchups overall against the Lady Hawks.
* LAST MEETING: Freshman Belle Bistrow put up a career-high 15 points against Shorter in Dec., leading UWF to a 59-56 win in Rome, Ga. Forward Katie Bobos recorded a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The UWF defense was at its best in its last matchup, holding the Lady Hawks to just 16 field goals and 29 percent from the field, both of which are season-lows for UWF opponents. Meanwhile, UWF shot 50 percent from the floor, which is the second best mark for the Argos this year.
RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND
* UWF had all five starters score in double figures as the Argonauts established season-highs for points and FG shooting in a 86-61 win at North Alabama on Thursday.
* Brewer picked up the lone double-double of the game, adding 10 boards to her 12 points. She and Bobos lead the team with four double-doubles on the year.
* UWF dominated the glass, holding UNA to just 21 rebounds and grabbing 41 of their own. The Argonauts improved to 8-3 on the year when outrebounding their opponents.
* UWF shot a season-best 60 pct (33-of-55) from the floor (including 70 pct in the first half), besting their 50 percent mark against Shorter in mid-December. The Argos made more than half their tries from beyond the arc for the first time this season, totaling six triples in 11 attempts.
* Four Argonauts averaged double digits against UNA and Alabama Huntsville: Alex Coyne (11 ppg), Katie Bobos (17.5), Toni Brewer (16.5), Kelly Preston (11.5).
* Against UAH, Alex Coyne played all possible minutes for the sixth time this season, going the full 45 in the overtime loss.
* Toni Brewer's 21 points against UAH were her season high and the second most by an Argonaut this season.
BOBOS IS THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
* Junior F Katie Bobos is playing very focused during her third season in Pensacola. The Lowell, Ind., native is averaging 13.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, both of which rank in the top 10 in the GSC - joining Shorter's Taylor Adams as the only players in each top 10.
* The preseason all-GSC pick has posted double figures in 12 of 16 games, including nine in a row from Dec. 5-Jan. 11 in which she averaged 15.1 points and 8.6 rebounds.
* After a season-low four points in the loss at Valdosta State three games ago, she returned to form with 17 on 8-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds and tied her career-high with four assists at North Alabama.
* She enters the Lee game with 806 points and 556 rebounds in 76 career games.
UWF CAREER REBOUNDS
Rk. Player RPG
1. Melissa Nafzger (2003-06) 798
2. Jennifer Bass (1993-97) 685
3. Erin Vierling (2002-06) 674
4. Karly Geller (1999-2002) 609
5. Segeeta Bland (1999-00) 573
6. Katie Bobos (2014-pr) 556
COYNE DROPPIN' DIMES
* Junior PG Alex Coyne has stepped into the lineup this season and had an immediate impact on the team's offense. The Southern Miss transfer ranks fifth in country with 6.6 assists per game. She has handed out at least six assists 14 times in 17 games this year.
NCAA DIVISION II ASSISTS PER GAME
Rk. Player APG
1. Kailee Howe, West Liberty 10.4
2. Kiana Johnson, Virginia Union 9.9
3. Tia Scott, Merrimack 7.0
4. Katie Fischer, Edinboro 6.7
5. Alex Coyne, West Florida 6.6
COYNE OPERATED
* Junior G Alex Coyne has been a workhorse on the floor for the Argos, averaging a GSC-best 37.9 minutes per game. That figure also ranks seventh nationally. She has played all possible minutes six times and at least 38 minutes in 11 of 17 games. She got a bit of a rest against North Alabama, going for just 34 minutes - her second fewest this year - before going the full 45 in the overtime loss to Alabama Huntsville.
BATTLING ON THE BOARDS
* UWF has outrebounded its opponents in 11 of 17 games, going 8-3 in those contests.
* The Argos have two players (Toni Brewer, 4th at 8.0 and Katie Bobos, 5th at 7.5) who rank in the top 5 in the GSC in rebounding.
* UWF's Kelly Preston (10th) and Courtney Meyer (11th) also rank in the top 15, making UWF the only team with four of the conference's top 20 rebounders.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
* Six different players (Bistrow, Bobos, Brewer, Coyne, Preston and Wigfall) have led the team in scoring in a game this season.
* Along those same lines, UWF has only had four 20-plus point performances this season, with Brewer recording the fourth against Alabama Huntsville last Saturday.
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.
