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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – After a come-from-behind victory on Thursday night at North Alabama, the UWF men's basketball team nearly pulled off another big victory but No. 19-ranked Alabama Huntsville pulled through with a hot shooting performance in the late stages to defeat the Argonauts, 76-70.
"I thought our effort was tremendous," said head coach
Jeff Burkhamer. "We had a lot of different guys on this trip help out and help us play well. We know we have a huge week coming up. This week could be a week that we make history and have great things happen for UWF basketball."
UAH (20-6, 16-4 GSC), who entered the game as the No. 1-ranked team in the South Region, had a one-point, 60-59 lead with 3:35 left in the game. UAH was able to pull away from the Argonauts with three consecutive three-point buckets for a 69-61 lead with 1:15 left.
With UWF (17-8, 12-8 GSC) looking for a last-second comeback, UAH converted on 7-of-8 free throws inside the game's final minute.
West Florida built a four-point lead heading into halftime by shooting 55 percent and converting on six of its 10 long-distance shots in the game's first 20 minutes.
Jason Laatsch led the team in scoring, posting an 18-point performance with a game-high five successful three-pointers.
Rashaan Benson recorded 15 points with a team-high four assists while
Darryl Tucker added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
UAH had three players in double figures including Brandon Roberts who recorded a game-high 22 points on a 7-for-13 shooting performance.
West Florida won the battle on the boards against UAH, outrebounding the Chargers 38-29.
West Florida plays its final nonconference matchup of the regular season on Monday at Auburn Montgomery at 7:00 p.m. before jumping back into GSC play next Thursday with a home game against Lee.