PENSACOLA, Fla. – UWF men's basketball kept up its strong play at home, defeating Auburn Montgomery 88-78 Monday night in the UWF Field House. Five players finished in double figures, and the 88 points were a season-high for the team.

UWF got off to a great start, shooting 21-of-31 from the field and 8-of-13 beyond the arc in the first on the way to a 54-38 halftime lead.
 
"I think we moved the ball and got good shots," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "Brett Carter Jr. shot the ball awfully well. We did a good job of driving gaps, pitching to open shooters, and we made shots. If you make shots, your offense looks a lot better."

The 54-point outpouring was the most in a single half this season by the team. Brett Carter Jr. was particularly effective in the opening half. He shot 6-of-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from deep on his way to 17 points. Jon Brown went 5-of-6 from the field en route to 12 first half points.
 
AUM did its best to keep up with the Argos prodigious output in the first, going 15-of-30 from the field and 7-of-17 from deep but struggled to slow the UWF attack. The Warhawks responded in the second though, starting the half on a 21-6 run to cut the UWF lead to 62-59 with just under 13 minutes to play.
 
"We were sloppy to start the half, and they made a run," said Burkhamer. "To our guys credit, we didn't ever give up the lead. We kept the lead, and we found a way to salt the game away at the end."
 
The Argos staved off the streak though, allowing the Warhawks to get no closer than three before closing the game on an 8-2 run in the game's final 3:12.
 
Rashaan Benson notched four steals in the game in addition to 10 points and six assists. He surpassed Deondre Boynton to become the program's all-time steals leader with 140 in his four-year Argo career.
 
Carter Jr. finished 7-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from deep for 20 points, a new career-high. Brown scored 19 points while also passing out five assists and grabbing four rebounds. He shot 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 beyond the arc. Henri Ventoniemi recorded his third double-double of the year with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
UWF put up 20 team assists, its most in a single game this season. The Argos held the Warhawks (6-13, 2-9 GSC) to 25 rebounds, a season-low for an opponent. The win was the third straight and fourth in the last five home games for UWF. The team has also won four of its last five overall. 
 
UWF (8-12, 4-8 GSC) will remain at home to take on West Alabama (14-5, 9-3 GSC) Thursday.
 
"They made shots, and a couple of guys we knew were good shooters made the shots," Burkhamer said of UWA, which defeated UWF 70-56 in Livingston Thursday. "We've got to do a better job guarding those guys, and then we've got to handle their physicality a little better on the offensive end."

The contest vs. West Alabama will be part of 90s Night in the UWF Field House. Tip vs. the Tigers is slated for 7:30 p.m.

For the latest information on UWF men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @UWFMensBBall.