THURSDAY: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
SATURDAY: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball (18-3, 10-3 GSC) returns home Thursday and Saturday for matchups with Lee (12-8, 7-6 GSC) and Shorter (3-18, 3-10 GSC). The Argos take on the Flames Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and meet the Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

UWF took a thriller in Florence Thursday night, defeating North Alabama 77-76. Darryl Tucker matched a season-high with 27 points (10-10 FG, 7-9 FT), and Marvin Jones reset his season-high with 22 points (8-12 FG, 4-7 3-PT FG, 2-4 FT).

University of West Florida men's basketball dropped a heartbreaker in Huntsville Saturday, falling to the UAH Chargers (13-8, 6-7 GSC) 91-90. Moter Deng led the Argos with 24 points (9-15 FG, 4-9 3-PT FG, 2-3 FT) and five rebounds. Rashaan Benson (7-11 FG, 3-4 3-PT FG) finished with 17 points and five assists. The Argos led 50-33 at half, but a furious Chargers comeback erased hopes of sweeping the Alabama road trip.

"We're in a good spot. We just need to finish strong," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "That's why these two games this week are so important. We've got to take care of ourselves at home. We've still got three at home and four on the road, so we know we have to play really well at home and find ways to win when we go away."
 

BENSON MOVES INTO SECOND ON CAREER ASSISTS LIST

* Rashaan Benson has 340 career assists at UWF. He passed Todd Johnson (1997-1999) for second on the all-time career Argo list during the team's contest at Huntsville. Benson is currently sitting at 108 assists for the year. The all-time career leader is Deondre Boynton, who racked up 411 career assists from 2005-2009,

* Benson has posted 5.1 assists per game so far this season. If maintained, this average would tie him for eighth 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.
 

THORPE EQUALS SINGLE SEASON STEALS RECORD

*  DJ Thorpe has registered 62 steals so far this season. The mark equals the Argo record for most steals in a single season since 1994, set by Marcus Grant during the 2006-2007 campaign.

* Thorpe leads the GSC with 3.0 steals per game. That is more than one steal more per game than the closest competition. Four GSC players are currently tied with 1.8 steals per game.
 

TUCKER SHOOTS 100% IN ALABAMA

* Darryl Tucker went 10 of 10 vs. North Alabama from the field and 6 of 6 from the field at Alabama Huntsville. He is now 26 of hist last 29 from the field over the last four games.

* Tucker nearly broke a program record in Florence. Only one other player has made more field goals while shooting 100% FG. Marquis Mathis was 11 of 11 from the field vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith Dec. 16, 2011. The 10 made field goals for Tucker were the most an Argo has made on the road while shooting 100% in program history.

* The University of West Florida men's basketball team (18-3, 10-3 GSC) checked into the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll at No. 20. The team remained in the D2SIDA Top 25 poll this week, checking in tied for 25th in the latest rankings. Both polls were released Tuesday.
 

UWF REMAINS RANKED IN NABC, D2SIDA POLLS

* West Florida dropped five spots in this week's NABC poll,having checked in at No. 15 last week. The Argos originally entered the NABC Top 25 Dec. 5, when they were ranked No. 25. UWF garnered 108 points in this week's poll.

* The Argos dropped ten spots in the latest edition of the D2SIDA poll after entering at No. 15 last week. UWF and Wheeling Jesuit are tied for the 25th spot in the latest poll. The Argos have been ranked in the Top 25 in every D2SIDA poll since Nov. 28, meaning the team has now been ranked in the Top 25 for eight straight polls. UWF garnered 23 points in this week's poll.

* No. 20 UWF is currently two games 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 at No. 11 and this week's NABC poll at No. 12. Valdosta and UWF are the only two GSC teams to appear in either poll.

ARGOS WIN AT NORTH ALABAMA

* Darryl Tucker was the only Argo to score more than four points in the first half. He posted 18, plus six rebounds, five of them on the offensive glass while playing 14 minutes. UWF was outshot .452 to .444 in the first and outrebounded 21-13. The Argos entered the halftime break trailing 39-36.

* UWF shot 14 of 27 (.519) from the field in the second half while holding North Alabama to an 11 of 32 (.344) mark. West Florida shot 19 of 33 (.633) from the line for the game, while North Alabama shot 16 of 24 (.667).

* Marvin Jones led all scorers with 18 second half points. He finished with 22 total points, five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Thorpe finished the contest with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals. 

* Tucker added 10 rebounds plus three assists, two blocks and a steal to his 27 points. The double-double was his seventh of the year and his first since Dec. 18. Henri Ventoniemi narrowly missed out on a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds.
 

UWF FALLS AT ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE

* The Argos offense slipped in the second but enjoyed one of its most efficient and entertaining performances all season for most of the first half, shooting 20 of 28 from the field (.714) and 7 of 13 (.538) beyond the arc. Darryl Tucker led the way with 10 points, while Bryan Chalifoux, DJ Thorpe, and Moter Deng each scored 9 points. The Argos held the UAH attack to .440 shooting from the field to build a 50-33 halftime lead.

* UAH roared back out of the gate in the second, beginning the period on a 22-6 tear to cut the Argo lead to 56-50 with just under 10 minutes to play. With 7:00 to play, UAH built the lead all the way to 76-68. Late game heroics from Deng and Benson, who scored 13 second half points, helped the Argos to fight back. The duo, plus Henri Ventoniemi, Chalifoux, and Tucker, all hit key shots down the stretch.  A layup from Tucker evened the game inside of two minutes. A Benson three off a wild ricochet sequence with nine seconds left gave the Argos a 90-89 lead.

* On a call with two seconds to play, UAH's Kip Owens was awarded two free throws following a dunk attempt. Owens received a pass at the top of the arc and drove through the Argo defense. Marvin Jones challenged him at the rim and was assessed the foul. He made both free throws. 

* The Argos shot 16 of 24 (.471) from the field in the second half vs. 18 of 28 (.643) for the Chargers. UAH hit 12 of 16 three-pointers in the game's second 20 minutes. The Chargers were led by Chayse Elliott, who scored 28 points (8-13 FG, 6-8 3-PT FG) in 20 minutes of work in the second. He finished with 41 points for the game. The loss was the third the Argos have suffered this season by one possession, and the second they have suffered that has been decided by one point.
 

GULF SOUTH STANDINGS

* UWF men's basketball currently sits second in the GSC, two games behind Valdosta State. West Alabama is three games out of the top spot at 9-4, and Montevallo sits in 4th with an 8-5 record.
 

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 69.1 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.

* Darryl Tucker is currently shooting .658 from the field. If maintained, this percentage would place him third 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 9.1 rebounds per game. If maintained, this pace would place him ninth in UWF program history since 1994. Tucker has posted 27 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.
 

"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.
 

SCOUTING LEE UNIVERSITY

* Lee currently sits at 7-6 in conference play and 12-8 overall. The Flames are 9-3 at home but just 3-5 away. The team has not played any contests on neutral floors this season.

* University of West Florida men's basketball (12-1, 4-1 GSC) suffered its first loss of the season at Lee University Jan. 4, falling in heartbreaking fashion 69-68. Rashaan Benson and Marvin Jones each finished with 16 points, and Moter Deng notched 15 points plus six rebounds. DJ Thorpe added 13 points. The loss snapped a program-record 12-game winning streak to start the season.

* The Flames are currently in a three-way tie for fifth in the GSC with Delta State and Christian Bros. Just one game separates them from a tie for the eighth and ninth place spots. The latter would put them out of the playoff picture.

* Lee is currently second in the GSC in scoring defense (68.4 PPG). The team is first in opponent field goal percentage at .403 and first in opponent three-point percentage at .328. The team also holds opponents to 31.2 rebounds per game, the lowest number in the conference.

* Parker Suedekum currently ranks tied for sixth in the GSC with 4.2 assists per game. He is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8. Colton Blevins is tied for 12th at 0.9 blocks per game.

* UWF is 2-7 vs. Lee since 2013 and 2-2 at home in the same span. The Argos have lost six of their last seven matchups vs. Lee.
 

SCOUTING SHORTER

* Shorter is 3-18 overall and 3-10 in conference play. The team is 2-6 at home, 1-11 on the road, and 0-1 on neutral floors. The Hawks currently sit last in the GSC.

* University of West Florida men's basketball kicked off 2018 right with a win over Shorter at the Winthrop-King Centre Jan. 2. Moter Deng led the team with 18 points (9-12 FG), 9 rebounds and 2 steals. The win was the 12th straight for the then-No. 12 Argonauts, breaking a tie with the 1967-68 squad for the most consecutive victories in program history.

* Shorter is in the bottom two in the conference in both points surrendered per game and points scored. The team is last in the GSC in field goal percentage (.413) and defensive field goal percentage (.528). Shorter is last in rebounding offense (28.3) and rebounding defense (40.5).

* Amonte Potter is fourth in the GSC in scoring at 18.4 points per game. Josh Burnett is tied for 10th in the conference at 16.3 points per game. Burnett is 14th in the conference at 6.5 rebounds per game. He is tied for second with 1.8 steals per game.

* Potter is second in the GSC in minutes per game at 36.7. TayVaughn Major is sixth at 35.4 minutes per game.

* The Argos have won the last three matchups vs. Shorter and are 5-6 vs. Shorter since 2013. UWF is 2-3 vs. the Hawks in Pensacola in the same span.

GSC/NCAA LEADERS

* Darryl Tucker is tied for the GSC lead with 9.1 rebounds per game. Tucker is also tied for first in the GSC in field goal percentage at .658. He is tied for sixth in the GSC with 1.3 blocks per game. He is 14th at 15.8 points per game.

* As of Jan. 29, Tucker is tied for eighth nationally in field goal percentage. He is tied for 44th in rebounds per game nationally. He is tied for 31st in total rebounds with 191.

* Moter Deng has shot .812 from the line this season. That is the fifth-best mark in the conference. Deng is tenth in the conference with a .502 FG percentage. He is the only player in the GSC to be in the top 10 in both categories.

* DJ Thorpe is first in the GSC with 3.0 steals per game. As of Jan. 29, he is fifth nationally in steals per game. He is third nationally with 62 total steals.

* Rashaan Benson currently ranks second in the GSC with 5.1 assists per game and is tied for sixth in the conference with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0. He is 11th in the conference at 34.1 minutes per game. He was 43rd nationally as of Jan. 24 in assists per game.

* West Florida has surrendered 69.1 PPG so far this year, the third-best mark in the conference. The team's 9.8-point average margin of victory is the third-best mark in the GSC.

* UWF is currently second in the GSC in offensive rebounding with 12.7 per game. The Argos have the second-best turnover margin in the conference at 3.71.

* The Argos lead the conference in steals at 8.38 per game. West Florida has held opponents to a .433 shooting mark from the field, tied for the fourth-lowest percentage in the conference. The Argos average 3.90 blocks per game, the third-highest mark in the conference.

* As of Jan. 29, the Argos are tied for 17th with a winning percentage of .857. The Argos are 21st nationally in turnover margin. The team is 32nd nationally in steals per game. West Florida is tied for 38th in scoring defense, is tied for 20th in total steals (176), is tied for 48th in offensive rebounding, and 41st in scoring margin. The team is 25th in free throw attempts nationally with exactly 500 . The team is 14th in turnovers forced with 17.3 per game.

#ARGOS#