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PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball (22-3, 14-3 GSC) travels to Clinton, Mississippi to take on the Miss. College Choctaws (9-13, 6-11 GSC) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Argos are riding a four-game win streak and are coming off back-to-back road wins at Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia. UWF is 10-2 away from Pensacola this season.
The Argos previously defeated Mississippi College Jan. 2 at home. 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 17th in a row at home dating back to last season.
No. 16 UWF is 4-0 so far in the month of February, racking up victories vs. Lee, Shorter, Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia by an average margin of 20.25 points. The Argos have held all four opponents under 75 points and held both Shorter and Lee under 60.
ARGOS WIN AT AUM AND WEST GEORGIA
* UWF men's basketball broke the program record for most wins in a single season Thursday, Feb. 8, downing Auburn Montgomery 63-46 at the AUM Athletics Complex.
* UWF turned in another excellent defensive performance, holding the Warhawks to .283 shooting from the field. The 46 points were the fewest surrendered to an opponent this year. The .283 mark was the lowest opponent field goal percentage for the team in 2017-18. It was the second straight game in which the Argos have held an opponent to less than .300 shooting from the field.
* UWF men's basketball clinched a home game in the first round of the GSC Tournament with an 85-71 win over West Georgia at The Coliseum Saturday.
* Darryl Tucker led the No. 17 Argos with 25 points (9-13 FG, 7-12 FT) and 16 rebounds. Rashaan Benson scored 14 points (3-13 FG, 1-3 3-PT FG, 7-8 FT) and dished seven assists while playing all 40 minutes. Marvin Jones added 15 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3-PT FG, 3-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists. Moter Deng finished with 12 points (4-8 FG, 0-1 3-PT FG, 4-4 FT) and eight rebounds. Henri Ventoniemi scored eight points (4-7 FG) and grabbed five rebounds.
ARGOS MOVE UP TO NO. 16 IN NABC POLL
* The University of West Florida men's basketball team (22-3, 14-3 GSC) rose in the latest NABC poll released Tuesday, checking in at No. 16. The team held steady at No. 17 in the latest D2SIDA poll, also released Tuesday.
* UWF rose one spot in the latest NABC poll from No. 17 to No. 16. The Argos originally entered the NABC Top 25 Dec. 5, when they were ranked No. 25, and have remained in the Top 25 ever since. UWF garnered 161 points in this week's 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 ten straight polls. UWF garnered 145 points in the latest poll.
* No. 16 UWF is currently two games behind Valdosta State (23-2, 16-1 GSC) in the battle for first place in the Gulf South. Valdosta State remained in the Top 10 in the latest NABC poll, checking in again at No. 9. The team once again came in at No. 9 in the latest D2SIDA poll. Valdosta State and West Florida were the only GSC teams to receive votes in either poll.
TUCKER WINS GSC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
* For the second time this season, UWF senior forward Darryl Tucker has been selected Gulf South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week. Tucker posted two double-doubles during a 2-0 road trip for West Florida last week. He led the No. 17 Argos to victories at Auburn Montgomery and West Georgia by posting a total of 43 points and 28 rebounds.
* The Gulf South Conference Player of the Week award is the 16th for the men's basketball program since 2011. It is also the third of the 2017-18 season. Tucker's fellow senior Moter Deng earned the honor Dec. 5. Tucker followed that with his first GSC Player of the Week award Dec. 21.
DARK HORSE DUNKER CONTEST
* 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 for Tucker and help him earn a chance to compete in the College Slam Dunk Contest March 28 in San Antonio, Texas.
* For the eighth consecutive year, darkhorsedunker.com is holding the nationwide competition to determine the final participant in the College Slam Dunk Championship. The competition is meant to find the country's most electric "Dark Horse Dunker," an under-the-radar player with hops and creativity who belongs on the national stage. Click HERE to vote now!
* Each dunker has submitted a highlight video of his best jams. The 16 participants will compete in bracket-style format in which fans vote for their favorite dunker. The top vote-getter in each matchup moves on to the next round. Each voter will be limited to one vote per device per calendar day for each head-to-head bracket matchup. Once the clock hits midnight, you are free to vote again for that next day.
ROAD RECORD
* The Argos have ten wins (eight away, two neutral floor) away from Pensacola. Since UWF restarted its men's basketball program in 1993-94, only the 1997-98 team has 10 wins outside of Pensacola in a single season. A win tonight would break that mark.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE
* Mississippi College are 9-13 overall and 6-11 in conference play. The Choctaws are 5-6 at home, 4-6 away and 0-1 on neutral floors. The team is currently riding a five-game losing streak dating back to Jan. 27.
* The Argos met Miss. College Jan. 7 at home. UWF took the contest 82-70. 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.
* Brandon Boston is currently 11th in the GSC with 7.0 rebounds per game. He is fourth in the GSC with a .552 FG percentage. Antonio Johnson is sixth in the conference with 4.2 assists per game. He is tied for eighth with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9.
* The Choctaws rank fourth in rebounding offense at 37.9 per game. The team is fifth in defensive rebounding at 27.6 per game. The team is fourth in the conference with 16.00 assists per game.
* West Florida has won four straight vs. Miss. College dating back to Feb. 6, 2016. UWF is 5-3 vs. Mississippi College since 2012 and 2-1 at Miss. College in that span.
#ARGOS#
