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CLINTON, Miss. – UWF men's basketball (23-3, 15-3 GSC) reset the program record for most Gulf South Conference wins in a single season by downing Mississippi College (9-13, 6-11 GSC) 79-49 at the A.E. Wood Coliseum Wednesday night.
The win was also the 11th away from Pensacola this season (away and neutral floors), which is the most since the program was restarted in 1993.
"Both those records just tell you we're having a great year," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "To do that on the road is how you have a special year, and we did it through defending and rebounding like we did tonight. It's great to continue to add to different records. This is obviously a special group."
Marvin Jones posted a season-high 23 points (7-14 FG, 4-9 3-PT FG, 5-5 FT). DJ Thorpe added 17 points (7-9 FG, 3-4 3-PT FG). The No. 16 Argos shot 30 of 57 (.526) from the field while holding Mississippi College to 19 of 59 (.322) shooting. UWF had a very effective night from deep, knocking down 10 of 20 (.500) three-pointers while limiting the Choctaws to just 3 of 19 (.158) shooting on threes.
"I thought we played really well for about 30 minutes," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "We didn't start the second half well but continued to defend and rebound throughout the whole game. I thought we were very good in our zone tonight. We did a lot of good things defensively, and then had a great spurt with about 12 minutes left to kind of open the game up."
Jones scored 11 of the team's first 15 points. The Argos reeled off runs of 8-0 and 9-0 to build a 40-24 lead at half. Jones finished the first with 16 points. Darryl Tucker added seven points and four rebounds. Thorpe scored seven and grabbed four rebounds himself. Rashaan Benson posted three points and five assists. Moter Deng notched three points, three rebounds and three assists. Henri Ventoniemi scored four points.
"We did a good job of moving the ball against their zone. They come out in a 2-3 early, and we were able to run a couple things to get [Jones] good looks, and he knocked them down" said Burkhamer. "He's shooting the ball well, and I thought he did a really good job of getting in a position to score."
The Choctaws held UWF scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half before a 24-7 run helped to provide a comfortable cushion. Thorpe led Argo scorers in the second half with ten points. Jones scored seven second half points and also recorded three steals.
For the game, UWF outscored Mississippi College 19-6 on points off of turnovers. The Argo bench outscored the Choctaws reserves 23-11. UWF won the rebounding battle 41-33. Tucker finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Benson finished with seven points, nine assists, one block and one steal. Seven different Argos recorded at least one steal. Five different Argos recorded at least one block.
The contest was the fourth straight in which UWF held an opponent to under 60 points and the second time in the last three games that the Argo defense has limited an opponent to less than 50 points.
The No. 16 Argos celebrate Senior Day, honoring the contributions of seniors Darryl Tucker, Marvin Jones, DJ Thorpe and Moter Deng, on Saturday, Feb. 17. The team will take on Union (12-14, 6-12 GSC) in a 4:00 p.m. matchup at the UWF Field House.
"Saturday is a special day, and we really need to fill the Field House, get as many people in there to honor these seniors who have set a number of records for the men's basketball program," said Burkhamer. "We invite everyone to be at the games on Saturday and come and cheer for your Argos."
UWF senior forward Darryl Tucker has been selected to participate in the 2018 College Slam Dark Horse Dunker Fan Vote competition. In the coming weeks, fans will be able to vote once per day per device for Tucker and help him earn a chance to compete in the College Slam Dunk Championships March 28 in San Antonio, Texas. Click HERE to vote now!
For the latest information on the Argos, follow the team on Twitter @UWFMensBBall.
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