PENSACOLA, Fla. – University of West Florida men's basketball (1-0) won its regular season opener over Albany State (0-1) 77-68 Saturday evening in the UWF Field House. DJ Thorpe posted the game high with 20 points (8-12 FG) and seven rebounds while Darryl Tucker (7-8 FG) finished with 17 and a game-high nine rebounds. Moter Deng added 11 points (4-11 FG) and five rebounds.
"Your seniors have to lead you, especially early. Darryl and DJ and Moter were all really good early," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "I thought we had some really good stretches, and I think we had some stretches when we kind of looked around and wondered what we were doing. But we'll improve in those areas. Overall, it was a good, solid first game win against a tough team."
UWF outscored Albany State 39-31 in the first half thanks largely to Thorpe, who scored six points in the game's first minute. He would finish the first with 12 points and three boards. Tucker pitched in 12 points and four boards of his own to help UWF build the halftime lead. The Argonauts shot 16 of 27 (59.3%) from the floor in the first.
Bryan Chalifoux and Moter Deng each erupted for nine points in the second half. Chalifoux had the hot hand for the Argos, converting all three of his 3-point attempts. Deng also contributed with 3 assists and 5 rebounds in the final half. Albany State shot the ball more efficiently in the second (42.3%) and cut the UWF lead to 57-52 but could get no closer. Key free throws late by Rashaan Benson, Deng and Tucker helped ice the game.
Benson led the team with six assists. Deng finished with 11 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He also led the team with three blocks. UWF finished with a total of eight team blocks in the game and seven steals. The Argos outshot Albany State 51.9% to 40.6% for the contest. Each team knocked down five 3-pointers, and each team committed 16 turnovers.
UWF jumps right back into action at the GSC-SIAC Crossover against Fort Valley State tomorrow. Tip-off vs. the Wildcats is slated for 4:00 pm in the UWF Field House.
#ARGOS#
