ROME, Ga. – University of West Florida men's basketball (12-0, 4-0 GSC) kicked off 2018 right with a win over Shorter (1-12, 1-4 GSC) at the Winthrop-King Centre Tuesday. Moter Deng led the team with 18 points (9-12 FG), 9 rebounds and 2 steals. The win was the 12th straight for the No. 12 Argonauts, breaking a tie with the 1967-68 squad for the most consecutive victories in program history.
"I think it means we've built the program the right way," UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer said of resetting the program win streak record. "We've had guys play well early in the season and have found ways to win with different guys helping us achieve that goal from our bench to our starters."
UWF went 30 of 60 from the field, outshooting Shorter .500 to .396 for the game. West Florida knocked down 18 of 25 (.720) free throws. The Argos controlled the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 41-26 overall and 16-8 on the offensive end. UWF forced 17 Shorter turnovers and posted a 26-11 margin on points off turnovers. UWF outscored Shorter 21-6 on second chance points.
"I thought we had one stand in the second half where we played really well, but you could tell we had a lot of Christmas in us," said Burkhamer. "We had to work through some mistakes that we don't normally make. I was a little disappointed in some of those things, but we also thought we had some guys play well. We played well enough to find a way to win on the road, which is difficult to do in our league. We're proud of the win but know we have to play a little bit better on Thursday."
UWF began the game with a 9-3 run. Deng and Marvin Jones combined for seven of the squad's first nine points. Shorter responded with a 12-4 run of their own to take a 15-13 lead. With the contest tied 20-20 at the under-12 media timeout, UWF rallied for a 7-0 run over the next 90 seconds to take a 27-20 lead. Darryl Tucker provided a major spark off the bench during this stretch, scoring 10 points in his first six minutes of work.
UWF built a 43-36 halftime lead. Tucker led the squad with 10 first half points. Jarrett Henderson added seven points and three rebounds. Deng registered eight points and two boards in the first. DJ Thorpe added four points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Rashaan Benson added five points.
The Argos built the lead to double digits just over three minutes into the second. The team went on a 14-0 run shortly thereafter to establish a 61-41 advantage and essentially put the contest away.
Benson posted 13 points (4-10 FG, 2-2 3-PT FG, 3-3 FT) plus two assists and two steals for the night. Jones recorded 11 points (4-8 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG, 2-4 FT) plus four rebounds. Thorpe finished with seven points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Tucker totaled ten points and five boards. Henri Ventoniemi scored ten points, grabbed four rebounds and recorded two steals plus one block.
The Argonauts remain at the top of the table in the GSC with the win. The team currently leads Delta State by a half game in the conference standings. UWF continues the road swing with a trip to Lee University (8-4, 3-2 GSC) Jan. 4.
"We'll have to do a good job of executing and being locked in to what we're doing and really do a good job of defending and, on the offensive end, being efficient with scoring opportunities," said Burkhamer about the upcoming matchup vs. the Flames. "We know this will be a very difficult game. I think they're an outstanding team. To go on the road and beat them will be a heck of a challenge."
Tip in Cleveland, Tenn. Thursday is slated for 7:00 p.m. CT.
OTHER ARGO NOTES: UWF rose one spot to No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' poll released Jan. 2. The Argonauts garnered 178 total points in the poll and were one of two GSC teams to appear in the Top 25. Christian Brothers checked in at No. 5. West Florida is currently ranked No. 12 in the D2SIDA poll.
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