PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball (13-1, 5-1 GSC) got back in the win column with an 82-70 win over Mississippi College (8-5, 4-4 GSC) Sunday. DJ Thorpe led the squad with 15 points (5-9 FG, 3-5 3-PT FG, 2-2 FT) and Moter Deng notched his second double-double (13 points/11 rebounds) of the season as the Argos scored their eighth win at home this season and their 17th in a row at home dating back to last season.
After a 9 of 19 performance for the line in a 69-68 loss at Lee Jan. 4, the Argos stepped up from the stripe in the win over Mississippi College. Perhaps the most impressive stat of the night was UWF's performance on free throw shots. The Argos went a perfect 12 of 12 from the line.
"I thought we had some really good stretches," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "We had some stretches that kind of made us shake our heads at time as coaches. We had enough good stretches, especially in the second half, where we attacked their zone much better. The last ten minutes of the game, we got good shots against their zone. Defensively, we were a little bit better guarding the ball in the second half."
The Argos fell behind 10-6 out of the gate but quickly rebounded by reeling off a 26-10 run that left them with a 32-16 lead. UWF led 42-33 at the halftime break. Rashaan Benson led the team with 12 points in the first half. Darryl Tucker and Deng each scored six points and grabbed five boards in the first.
An Otis Harvey jumper helped Mississippi College to cut the lead to 47-42 just over three minutes into the second. The Choctaws stayed close, trailing 56-50 with 12:09 to play before the Argos put together a 20-9 run to put the contest out of reach. Thorpe was key in the rally, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
"They tried to take us out of what we wanted to do, but we wanted to get the shots we wanted to get," Thorpe said.
Thorpe knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to put UWF up 69-53 and 72-53. He finished with five steals and five rebounds to go with his 15 points. It was the fifth time this season he has finished with 15 points and the third time he has notched at least five steals.
"We were getting pretty good shots, but we had to play defense so we locked in defensively as a team and individually. Not letting our man score was our mindset," Thorpe said of the team's halftime adjustments.
Four Argos finished the game in double figures. In addition to Thorpe's 15, Benson piled up 14 points, Deng finished with 13, and Jones piled up 12. Benson also recorded five assists.
The Argos reset their season-high for offensive rebounding, registering 18 offensive rebounds. Seven of Deng's 11 boards were on the offensive end. UWF finished 31 of 78 (.397) from the field. The Choctaws shot 26 of 62 (.419) from the field and finished 12 of 24 (.500) from beyond the arc. Mississippi College was led by Donovan Ham, who scored 19 points. The Choctaws finished 6 of 11 (.545) from the line.
UWF remains at home for a showdown vs. Delta State (7-8, 5-2 GSC) Tuesday. The Argos are currently tied with Valdosta State for first in the GSC. Delta State is a half game behind.
"Delta's a team that's very well-coached. They'll be very well prepared. We know they play tough, solid halfcourt man-to-man," said Burkhamer of Tuesday's contest. "We'll have to do a really good job of executing, getting shots we want. And then on the other end, we know we'll have to get multiple efforts to play through all their screening action."
Tip vs. Delta State is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the UWF Field House.
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