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

PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball opens Gulf South Conference play vs. Christian Brothers Thursday and Union (Tenn.) Saturday. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday vs. the Bucs and 4:00 p.m. Saturday vs. the Bulldogs at the UWF Field House. 
 
"We're continuing to get better. We're still learning each other, still figuring out what we're going to do offensively and defensively," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "But we are getting better. We're making the right steps, and hopefully that will continue."
 
The Argos (3-2) are coming off a 79-69 win vs. Spring Hill Nov. 20. Rashaan Benson and GSC Freshman of the Week Jon Brown combined for 41 points. Henri Ventoniemi racked up a career-best 14 boards in the victory over the Badgers.
 
This weekend's games will be the final in the UWF Field House before Christmas for the Argonauts. The team will play just one other game in the UWF Field House in the month of December (vs. LaGrange College Dec. 30).
 
JON BROWN WINS GSC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK AWARD

* Jon Brown earned the first Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week award of his career as announced by the conference Tuesday.
* The Helena, Alabama native notched a season-best 20 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 shooting from the line in the win over Spring Hill Tuesday. The redshirt freshman has now scored in double figures in three of the first five games in his UWF career.
 
WE MUST PROTECT THIS FIELD HOUSE

* UWF is now 26-3 over the last three seasons at the UWF Field House. The home opener win Nov. 20 was the fifth straight for the program.
* West Florida is 6-0 at home combined vs. Christian Brothers and Union under fourth-year head coach Jeff Burkhamer.
 
BENSON CONTINUES CLIMB THROUGH RECORD BOOK

* Rashaan Benson surpassed Deondre Boynton (411) for first place on the all-time UWF career assists list in his first chance in front of the UWF home crowd this season, notching three assists Nov. 20 to move to 412 for his career.
* The Memphis, Tenn. native has also moved into fifth place on the program's all-time scoring list with 970 points. Averaging 15.4 points per game this season, he is poised to soon surpass Doug Linville (995) for fourth place.
* The HomeLife Academy alum has knocked down 11 three-pointers this season. He is now one of just 10 Argonauts ever to record 100 threes in his career.
 
SCOUTING CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

* The Bucs come into Thursday's matchup at 4-1 overall this season. CBU has played just one road game this year, scoring a 78-56 win at Wilberforce on Nov. 9.
* The Bucs suffered their first loss of the season vs. Lane (Tenn.) 83-79 on Nov. 20. The squad bounced back for a 90-74 victory over Harding (Ark.) on Nov. 26.
* Christian Bros. was ranked No. 24 in the NABC poll on Nov. 20 but dropped out after suffering the loss vs. Lane.
* The Bucs are led by senior Adam Dieball, who is a two-time First Team All-GSC selection, and the GSC Freshman of the Year in 2015-16. Dieball led the GSC in assists last season and was a preseason All-GSC selection this season. He is averaging 19.2 points, 8.8 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game this year.
* Joe Laravie paces Christian Brothers in points with 19.6 per game. He is a major part of a potent Bucs three-point attack that averages 12.2 makes beyond the arc per contest.
* UWF is 5-11 vs. CBU since 2012 but has won three of the last four matchups between the two programs. West Florida won 76-66 last year in January at CBU and then defeated the Bucs 68-58 in the semifinal round of the GSC Tournament.
 
SCOUTING UNION

* The Bulldogs currently sit at 4-2 overall this season. The team is 2-1 at home, 2-0 on neutral floors and 0-1 away.
* Union suffered back-to-back losses vs. McKendree and Southern Arkansas Nov. 20 and Nov. 24. The team had won five in a row to open the season previously.
* The Bulldogs are one of the younger teams in the conference this season. The roster has five juniors and no seniors.
* Union was picked to finish 10th in a preseason poll of conference coaches. The Bulldogs are seeking to qualify for their fourth GSC Tournament in the last five seasons.
* Tyree Boykin paces the Bulldog attack with 23.5 points per game. The scoring figure is currently the second-highest in the conference.
* UWF is 6-6 vs. Union since 2012. The Argonauts have won three straight vs. the Bulldogs and four of the last five matchups. UWF is 4-2 at home vs. Union since 2012.

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