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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF men's basketball team (17-2, 9-2 GSC) takes a road trip this week to North Alabama (10-8, 5-6 GSC) and Alabama Huntsville (12-7, 5-6 GSC). The No. 15 Argos take on North Alabama in Florence, Ala. Thursday at 8:00 p.m. The team then travels to meet the Chargers in Huntsville Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Saturday's action will be broadcast live through Choice 106.9 FM and WRNE 980 AM.
No. 15 UWF (17-2, 9-2 GSC) rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit but could not complete the comeback Sunday in the UWF Field House, falling to Auburn University Montgomery (8-10, 4-7 GSC) 73-70. Marvin Jones scored a season-high 17 points in the loss. DJ Thorpe added 16, Henri Ventoniemi scored 13, and Darryl Tucker added 11.
The loss was the first for the Argos since a 69-68 heartbreaker at Lee Jan. 4, and the first the program has lost at home since falling to Alabama Huntsville 76-69 on Dec. 31, 2016. UWF had won its 19th straight game at home Friday vs. West Georgia, matching a program record. The Argos are 7-1 outside Pensacola so far this season.
ARGOS ENTER ROAD TRIP IN NATIONAL TOP 20
* The University of West Florida men's basketball remained in the Top 20 in both the D2SIDA and NABC polls released Tuesday. The Argos (17-2, 9-2 GSC) checked into the latest edition of the NABC poll at No. 15 and the latest D2SIDA poll at No. 17.
* The Argos dropped two spots in the latest edition of the NABC poll and dropped seven spots in the latest D2SIDA poll after entering at No. 10 last week, the first Top 10 ranking in the poll in program history. UWF and West Chester are tied for the 17th place position.
* No. 15 UWF is currently one game behind Valdosta State (17-2, 10-1 GSC) in the battle for first place in the GSC. Valdosta State entered both this week's D2SIDA poll and the NABC poll at No. 14. West Liberty topped both polls.
ARGOS WIN VS. WEST GEORGIA
* UWF men's basketball equaled the program record with its 19th consecutive home win in the UWF Field House Friday, downing West Georgia (8-9, 3-7 GSC) 88-86. UWF had five players score in double figures, and Moter Deng notched his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
* The Argos began the game hot, starting on an 11-0 run. The team did not allow the Wolves a field goal for almost the first five minutes. Henri Ventoniemi led the squad with 12 points and three boards on 6-6 FG shooting in the first as the Argos built a 48-38 lead. Deng finished 4 of 7 from the field in the first, piling up 11 points and five rebounds. Marvin Jones added ten points and five rebounds in the opening half. The Argos shot .594 from the field in the first while limiting West Georgia to a .375 mark.
* The Wolves refused to go quietly in the second. Behind strong play from Darryl Tucker, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second, the Argos built an 84-76 advantage with 2:43 to play. UWG, one of the top offenses in the GSC, narrowed the gap to 86-85 before a pair of clutch Tucker free throws inflated the lead to 88-85 with seven seconds left. After a Jones foul, William Sides hit one free throw for the Wolves with two seconds left. He missed the second, and a Deng rebound sealed the win for UWF.
ARGOS FALL TO AUM
* UWF men's basketball rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit but could not complete the comeback Sunday in the UWF Field House, falling to Auburn University Montgomery (8-10, 4-7 GSC) 73-70. Marvin Jones scored a season-high 17 points in the loss. DJ Thorpe added 16, Henri Ventoniemi scored 13, and Darryl Tucker added 11.
* The loss was the first the Argos have suffered since a 69-68 heartbreaker at Lee Jan. 4, and the first the program has lost at home since falling to Alabama Huntsville 76-69 on Dec. 31, 2016. UWF had won its 19th straight game at home Friday vs. West Georgia, matching a program record.
* The Argos fell behind 41-25 at halftime. Ventoniemi led the team with eight first half points. The Argos had trouble slowing down the AUM attack, which shot 16 of 27 (.593) from the field and 7 of 15 (.467) from beyond the arc in the game's first 20 minutes. The Warhawks' Lafayette James-Core scored 18 points in the first half while grabbing three steals. The Argos committed 13 turnovers in the first vs. 9 for AUM.
* Thorpe scored 14 of his 16 and Jones added 12 of his 17 in the second to pace a furious comeback effort. With 2:15 to play, a three by Jones cut the AUM lead down to 66-64. Two putbacks by Tucker, who scored seven in the second, kept the Argos close inside 30 seconds, but the team fell just short. A missed AUM free throw with 5.1 seconds to go and the score at 73-70 briefly gave the Argos hope that a fumbled rebounding effort quickly dashed.
GULF SOUTH STANDINGS
* UWF men's basketball currently sits second in the GSC, one game behind No. 14 Valdosta State and one game ahead of West Alabama. In the month of February, the Argos will have GSC home contests vs. Lee, Shorter and Union and conference road contests vs. Auburn Montgomery, West Georgia, Mississippi College and Valdosta State.
ARGOS REWRITING PROGRAM RECORD BOOK
* This year's team has etched its name in the program record book. The Argos have set new standards for longest win streak and longest win streak to start a season. The team has also matched the record for longest home win streak, which began with last year's team.
* UWF is surrendering just 67.6 points per game this season. The team is within striking distance of the Argo record for fewest points allowed on average in a single season. The record is currently held by the 2003-04 team, which allowed just 64.6 per game.
"IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR…"
* UWF men's basketball enjoyed the best winning percentage of any Gulf South Conference program during the 2017 calendar year. The team went 26-5 during 2017 to finish with a winning percentage of .838 and top the list of GSC teams. Valdosta State came in second at 27-6 (.818).
* The Argos did not drop a single home game in the 2017 calendar year.
ARGOS PURSUE SINGLE-SEASON PROGRAM RECORDS
* DJ Thorpe has registered 56 steals through 17 games so far this season. The mark puts him on pace to shatter the Argo record for most steals in a single season since 1994, set by Marcus Grant during the 2006-2007 campaign. He posted 62 steals that season. The 56 steals currently place Thorpe fourth.
* Darryl Tucker is currently shooting .626 from the field. If maintained, this percentage would place him fifth all-time in program history for a single season. The record (.673) since 1994 was set by Anthony Russell in 1997-1998. Tucker is also averaging 9.3 rebounds per game. If maintained, this pace would tie him for ninth in UWF program history since 1994. Tucker has posted 24 blocks already this season and is on pace to finish in the top 10 for a single season in program history in that category. The record holder for a single season is Charles Bouie, who racked up 93 rejections in 2007-2008.
* Rashaan Benson has posted 5.2 assists per game so far this season. If maintained, this average would tie him for seventh in program history for a single season. The leader since 1994 for assists per game is Moochie Norris, who averaged 8.9 per contest in 1995-96. Benson has 321 career assists at UWF and is within 17 of tying Todd Johnson (1997-1999) for second on the all-time career list. Benson is currently sitting at 99 assists for the year.
SCOUTING NORTH ALABAMA
* North Alabama enters Thursday's matchup with a 10-8 overall record and a 5-6 GSC record. The team is 7-2 at home, 3-5 away and 0-1 on neutral floors. North Alabama has won two of its last three. The Lions downed West Georgia 99-92 Jan. 13, fell to Auburn Montgomery 96-89 Jan. 15 and beat Alabama Huntsville 75-72 Jan. 20. Thursday's game will be North Alabama's first at home since Jan. 9.
* North Alabama currently is in a three-way tie with Christian Brothers and Alabama Huntsville for eighth in the GSC.
* UNA currently ranks fourth in the conference in points per game (83.5), third in field goal percentage (.404), third in field goal percentage defense (.331), first in rebounding offense (43.2 per game), and third in steals (7.28).
* Kendall Stafford ranks second in the GSC with 9.2 rebounds per game. Sharwyn McGee is tied for seventh in the conference with 7.7 rebounds per game. Stafford is 12th in the conference with a .478 field goal percentage. Kendarius Smith is fourth in the GSC with a three-point percentage of .414. He is tied for fifth with 2.7 three-pointers per game. He is tied for tenth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7.
* UWF is is 8-16 vs. North Alabama since 2006. The team is 4-2 in conference play vs. North Alabama in the time span. The Argos are 5-10 in Florence since 2006. Last year, the Argos won 100-82 vs. UNA in Pensacola and on the road at UNA 86-77.
SCOUTING ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE
* Alabama Huntsville currently stands at 12-7 overall and 5-6 in conference play. The Chargers are 8-1 at home, 3-6 away and 1-0 on neutral floors. The team has lost two straight. The Chargers participated in the highest-scoring game in the conference this year, falling to West Georgia 122-118 in 3 OT on Jan. 15 before dropping a home contest to North Alabama 75-72 Jan. 20.
* Alabama Huntsville currently is in a three-way tie with Christian Brothers and North Alabama for eighth in the GSC.
* The Chargers currently rank third in the GSC in scoring at 85.4 points per game. The team leads the GSC in field goal percentage at .496 and three-point field goal percentage at .413. The Chargers have held opponents to the lowest three-point field goal percentage in the conference at .328. Alabama Huntsville ranks second in the conference at .747 from the line. The team is third in the GSC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.17.
* Justin Ward is currently fourth in the GSC in scoring at 17.7 points per game. Ward is fifth in the GSC with a .402 mark beyond the arc and third with 2.9 three-pointers per game. Chayse Elliott is 19th with 14.7 points per game. Elliott is fifth in the conference in field goal percentage at .525. Kip Owens is tenth in the GSC with 3.7 assists per game. Owens is tied for eighth with 1.1 blocks per game.
* The Argos are 2-22 vs. UAH since 2006. UWF has lost seven straight to the Chargers dating back to 2014. The Argos are 0-9 in Huntsville since 2006.
GSC/NCAA LEADERS
* Darryl Tucker currently leads the GSC with 9.3 rebounds per game. Tucker is second in the GSC in field goal percentage at .626. He is tied for seventh in the GSC with 1.3 blocks per game. He is 16th with 15.4 points per game.
* As of Jan. 24, Tucker is tied for 15th nationally in field goal percentage at .626. He is tied for 39th in rebounds per game at 9.3. He is tied for 31st with 176 total rebounds.
* Moter Deng has hit 51 of 62 free throws so far this year. His .823 mark from the line is the fifth-best in the conference. Deng is eighth in the conference with a .500 FG percentage.
* DJ Thorpe is first in the GSC with 2.9 steals per game. As of Jan. 24, he is fifth nationally in steals per game. He is fifth nationally with 56 total steals.
* Rashaan Benson currently ranks second in the GSC with 5.2 assists per game and is fifth in the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.2. He is 11th in the conference at 34.1 minutes per game. He is 43rd nationally as of Jan. 24 in assists per game.
* West Florida has surrendered 67.6 PPG so far this year, the second-best mark in the conference. The team's 10.8-point average margin of victory is the third-best mark in the GSC.
* UWF is currently second in the GSC in offensive rebounding with 13.1 per game. The Argos have the best turnover margin in the conference at +3.84.
* The Argos lead the conference in steals at 8.42 per game. West Florida has held opponents to a .429 shooting mark from the field, the fourth-lowest percentage in the conference. The Argos average 3.89 blocks per game, the third-highest mark in the conference.
* As of Jan. 24, the Argos are tied for 13th with a winning percentage of .895. The Argos are 20th nationally with +3.80 turnover margin. The team is 30th nationally in steals per game at 8.4. West Florida is 26th in scoring defense, is tied for 24th in total steals, is 32nd in offensive rebounding, and 40th in scoring margin. The team is 25th in free throw attempts at 461. The team is 15th in turnovers forced with 17.6 per game.
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