BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UWF men's basketball (28-3) claimed the first GSC Tournament title in program history by knocking off Delta State (15-16) 71-65 in double overtime at the Pete Hanna Center Sunday. Marvin Jones earned the VisitSpaceCoast.com GSC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award, and he and Moter Deng were named to the All-Tournament team.
"I'm really, really happy for our players and really excited for them," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "Really hard-fought game like I knew it would be with Delta State. It's going to be hand-to-hand combat when you play those guys. So proud of how we hung in and found a way to win the game."
The Argos fell behind out of the gate 22-8. Delta State dominated the game's first 10 minutes. The Argos were able to trim the deficit to three by half though. Deng led the team in the first with seven points and six rebounds. Darryl Tucker scored five points and grabbed two rebounds.
Delta State began the second on a 9-1 run and grew the lead as large as 39-27 with just over 15 minutes to play. The Argos reeled off a key 11-0 run to turn the 12-point deficit into just a one-point deficit. The teams battled closely the rest of the way. The Statesmen opened up a 50-46 lead before a key three by Deng cut the advantage to 50-49 with 1:55 to play.
DJ Thorpe went to the line with 23 seconds to go after being fouled and hit one of two free throws to tie the game at 50-50. A block by Tucker send the game into overtime.
"We worked too hard to get here and lose, period, point blank," said Jones of battling back. "Through everything we've been through, this was our time, this was our moment."
Delta State had a chance for the win late in the first overtime. With the score tied 56-56, good Argo defense forced a Brett Warner three-point miss as time expired. In the second overtime, Deng led the way, scoring the first six points of the period to open up a lead. He score seven of the team's 15 in the second OT. Late free throws by Jones helped seal the win.
The double overtime championship game was the first in the history of the GSC Tournament. The GSC title was the 92nd overall for the University of West Florida and the first for the men's basketball program.
Deng finished with his second straight double-double (21 points and 11 rebounds). It was his fifth double-double overall this year. Jones scored a game-high 22 points. Tucker also notched a double-double, scoring 12 points and recording 11 rebounds. The double-double was his 11th of the season.
With the win, the Argos book a spot in the NCAA South Regional. Seeding for the South Regional will be announced tonight at 9:30 on NCAA.com.
For the latest information on the Argos, follow the team on Twitter @UWFMensBBall.
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