BOX SCORE
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. -  The University of West Florida men's basketball team posted a 19-point victory over Auburn-Montgomery in an 80-61 contest to move to 3-0 on the young season.
 
West Florida never trailed in the contest, and UWF started to break away in the first half after Mario Stramaglia converted on three-pointers on back-to-back attempts to provide the Argonauts with a 22-13 lead. Stramaglia added his third three-pointer of the contest just minutes later, giving UWF a 26-13 advantage.
 
UWF's 18-0 run over 8:12 in the first half grew its 16-13 lead to 34-13 and set the tone for the rest of the contest. The Argonauts held the Warhawks to just a 30.4% field goal percentage in the first half.
 
West Florida had its biggest lead of the game when heading into the half, as the Argos held a 21-point advantage at 39-18 when going to the locker room. The Argonauts converted on 42% of their shots from the field, including a red-hot 54.5% clip from three-point range.
 
Auburn Montgomery (0-3) posted a stronger fight in the second half, outscoring UWF 43-41. West Florida overmatched AUM in bench points (36-35), fast-break points (13-2), second chance points (13-10), points off turnovers (25-9) and points in the paint (34-28). UWF shot 44.8% for the contest and was 8-for-17 (47.1%) from three-point range.
 
Individual leaders for UWF include Jason Laatsch, who registered a team-high 15 points and six assists. Deangelo Legrier led the effort on the boards with seven rebounds, while Stramaglia and Rashaan Benson added 12 points and 11 points, respectively. Benson also contributed five assists in the victory.
 
West Florida leaps right back into action on Tuesday, when it hosts Spring Hill for a 7:30 p.m.  contest. The game will follow the conclusion of the women's UWF-SHC contest set for a 5:30 p.m. start.
 
For information on all UWF athletics, visit GoArgos.com.