PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball will celebrate Senior Day Saturday at the UWF Field House. The team will battle Union at 4:00 p.m.
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.
Union is 12-14 on the season and 6-12 in the GSC. The team has played well lately, winning three of its last four.
The Argos are 12-1 at home this season. The contest will be the final of the regular season but not be the final of the year at the UWF Field House. The Argos have clinched at GSC Tournament home game, the first in program history. The postseason matchup against a still-to-be-determined opponent.
ARGOS WIN FIFTH STRAIGHT
* Marvin Jones posted a season-high 23 points (7-14 FG, 4-9 3-PT FG, 5-5 FT) as the Argos downed Mississippi College. 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.
* 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.
FOUR SENIORS TO BE HONORED
* UWF will honor four seniors tomorrow: Darryl Tucker, DJ Thorpe, Moter Deng, and Marvin Jones. Over the last two years, the four have formed the core of the team that has won more games over a two-year span than any in history.
* Darryl Tucker has enjoyed a historic 2017 season. He currently leads the conference with a .656 field goal percentage, 9.6 rebounds per game and 10 double-doubles. The senior is averaging 16.4 points and 1.5 blocks per game.
* DJ Thorpe stands alone at the top of the all-time single-season steals list in UWF history with 71 so far this season. He is averaging 12.2 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game. He is shooting .459 from three. He is one of the national leaders in both total steals and steals per game. He leads the conference in both categories.
* Moter Deng is in the top 10 in the GSC in free throw percentage so far this season, shooting .805 from the line. He has scored 20 in a game five times this season and has registered three double-doubles.
* Marvin Jones led the team in scoring at Mississippi College, dropping a total of 23 points. He is second on the squad with 13.5 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 13 of the 16 he has played in this season. Jones is also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.
VOTE FOR TUCKER
* 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!
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.
* 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.
ARGOS CHECK IN AT NO. 3 IN FIRST NCAA SOUTH REGION POLL
* The UWF men's basketball team checked in at No. 3 in the South Region in the first NCAA Division II regional rankings of the 2017-18 season released on Wednesday.
* UWF has enjoyed the most successful season in program history, winning a program-best 23 games. The team's .880 winning percentage is on pace to be the best in program history. The Argos are currently ranked 16th nationally in the NABC poll and 17th in the D2SIDA poll.
* West Florida, whose 15 conference wins have broken the single-season high for the program, is ranked behind just one other GSC team. Valdosta State (23-2, 16-1 GSC), the current leader in the GSC and No. 9 team in the nation, checked in at No. 2 in the South Region poll. Morehouse (21-1), ranked No. 11 in the NABC and No. 14 in the D2SIDA poll, topped the South Region.
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