BOX SCORE
December 15, 2016
JACKSON, Tenn. – After suffering a 92-89 double-overtime setback against Valdosta State on Monday night, the UWF men's basketball team had a similar misfortune at Union on Thursday night, falling to the Bulldogs in double overtime 94-91.
In a thriller of a Gulf South Conference contest, the start of the UWF-UU matchup began with UU (6-3, 1-2 GSC) asserting its dominance with a 17-6 lead. UWF (5-2, 0-2 GSC) rose to the early challenge by going on a 15-2 run over 5:59 to garner a 21-19 advantage.
The remainder of regulation was a neck-and-neck battle between the Argos and Bulldogs, as neither team held a lead larger than five points after UWF was able to erase its early deficit.
With 11 seconds remaining in the second half,
Rashaan Benson started one of the most clutch performances in recent memory with a three-pointer from the left corner to cut UU's lead to 69-68. Union's Ashanti Day would go 1-of-2 from the free throw line on the ensuing possession, allowing Benson to tie the contest at 70-70 with a right-handed layup after working his way around a trio of Bulldog defenders as time expired.
After Day posted a bucket with 28 seconds left in the first overtime, UWF chipped away at UU's 80-76 lead with a three-pointer from
Jason Laatsch with 17 seconds remaining. West Florida then fouled Union's Tray Boyd, who would go 1-for-2 on free throws. The miss from Boyd would prove to be costly, as it allowed for Benson to pull off the heroics, this time coming through with a layup over Charlie Wilson with four seconds remaining to tie the game at 81-81.
Laatsch continued to show his range in the second overtime, converting on a pair of three-pointers from long beyond the arc to pace the Argonaut offense. Laatsch's first three of double overtime tied the contest at 88-88 with 58 seconds remaining, while his second triple diminished Union's lead to 92-91 with 13 seconds left.
After Laatsch's second three, West Florida then fouled UU's KC Goodwin, who converted on both of his free throw attempts.
Mario Stramaglia's three-point buzzer beater attempt with one second left was off the mark, handing UWF its second consecutive double overtime loss with a final score of 94-91.
Union currently sits fourth in the GSC with a 47.9 field goal percentage, and the Bulldogs lived up to that reputation with a striking 51.9 mark on Thursday. UU went 8-of-12 from the field over the course of two overtime periods, and used seven successful free throws on eight attempts to help solidify its sixth win of the season.
West Florida's bench outscored Union by a considerable 25-10 margin.
DJ Thorpe led all UWF bench players with 13 points, and his five steals is the most by an Argonaut this season. Thorpe's five swipes helped UWF record a season-high 13 in the contest.
Benson led UWF his second consecutive 22-point performance. It is the third game in the row Benson has posted a 20-point showing, as the sophomore point guard now leads UWF with 13.9 points per game. The Memphis native converted on 10-of-17 shot attempts, including going a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
Benson led the Argonauts on the boards with six rebounds. His total was tied with
Deangelo Legrier and
Darryl Tucker for the team lead.
Austin Somerfield recorded 16 points and after starting the game going 3-for-8 from the free throw line, Somerfield finished his evening going 5 for his last 5 from the charity stripe. Laatsch added in 14 points and went 3-for-4 from three-point distance.
All five of Union's starters finished in double figures with Wilson leading the way with a game-high 23 points. Jarad Scott also played a pivotal role for the Bulldogs, recording a double double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
West Florida remains in search for its first GSC win and will stay in Tennessee for a matchup with Christian Brothers at Canale Arena in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
-- GoArgos.com --
