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PENSACOLA, Fla. – Mario Stramaglia made seven 3-pointers and the West Florida men's basketball team erased a 13-point second-half deficit before defeating Union, 88-79, in overtime at the UWF Field House Saturday.
 
UWF (6-16, 5-14 Gulf South) extended its win streak to a season-best three and remained in contention for a spot in the GSC postseason tournament. The Argos are three games out of the 8-team field with three contests to play.
 
Stramaglia was in the zone in the first half, making 6-of-7 from outside to help keep the Argos within striking distance.
 
The opening period was a one or two possession contest for the majority of the half before Union closed the frame on a 9-4 run for a 47-40 lead.
 
The Bulldogs slowly extended their lead to double figures and claimed a 65-52 lead with just under 13 minutes left.
 
But as it has all season long, UWF continued to battle and play hard. The Argos outscored the Bulldogs 20-7 over the next 11 minutes, tying the contest at 72 on a Deangelo Legrier free throw with 1:33 to play. The teams traded buckets before neither team was successful on their final possessions in the last 15 seconds.
 
In the overtime, UWF controlled the tempo and never trailed. The Argos got a jumper by Austin Somerfield 90 seconds in and then Stramaglia beat the shot clock on a leaning jumper from 17 feet to put the squad up 78-74 with 2:30 left.
 
Union made two free throws but UWF answered with four of their own and was 6-of-6 from the line down the stretch to secure the victory.
 
In addition to his career night shooting, Stramaglia recorded a career-high in scoring for the second time in the last three games with a game-high 26 points.
 
Somerfield added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Legrier did a little bit of everything with 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and three blocks.
 
UWF shot 54 percent from the floor – its second-highest this season – and was 21-of-27 from the charity stripe. The Argos also finished with nine 3-pointers, two games removed from a season-best 13.
 
Union (17-8, 11-8) dropped its second-straight game and fell to 4-8 on the road, including just 2-8 against league opponents. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent and had a season-high six shots blocked by UWF defenders.
 
UWF will look to add to its strong play of late as it opens a 3-game road swing, beginning Thursday, Feb. 18 at second place West Georgia (16-8, 13-6). The game at the The Coliseum in Carrollton, Ga. is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern time, following the conclusion of the women's game.