BOX SCORE

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Jarrett Henderson had a career night with 28 points, but UWF men's basketball fell just short vs. GSC leader West Alabama Thursday night in the UWF Field House. The Argos took their second contest in a week vs. the Tigers down to the wire before falling 77-75.
 
"I thought it was one of the best games I've been involved with since I've been here," said UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer. "I thought it was just a really good basketball game. I thought both teams played well, both teams played hard. It was a hard-fought game for forty minutes. That's what a GSC game is supposed to be."
 
Henderson posted 19 of his 28 in the first half. UWF outscored the Tigers 12-0 in points off turnovers in the first, but UWA carried a 38-35 lead to the locker room.
 
The contest remained tight in the second. UWF staved off an early UWA surge to stay close. A steal and an and-1 finish by Rashaan Benson tied the contest at 62-62 with 6:38 to play. UWA answered with 10-3 run though, opening a 72-65 lead with just over three left.
 
The Argos rallied shortly thereafter, cutting the lead to 76-75 with 33 seconds to go when Maxwell Benoit knocked down three free throws after a UWA foul on his attempt from beyond the arc.
 
A Darron Johnson free throw gave the Tigers their final lead at 77-75. The Argos could not erase the final deficit, falling for just the second time in the last six games. Both losses have come against the GSC leaders.

"They're a very good team, they're at the top of the league, and we battled them possession to possession for 40 minutes," said Burkhamer. "I was really proud of our guys, and I thought we played our tail off."
 
Henderson added seven rebounds, two assists and one steal to his 28 points. Brown scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half. He also posted a pair of steals, three rebounds and one assist.
 
"I thought Jarrett played his best game by far in the two years he's been here," said Burkhamer. "Tonight was his night. Tonight was his night we were able to take advantage maybe of some of the things they were doing defensively, and he was able to capitalize."
 
Henri Ventoniemi scored 10 points and recorded five rebounds. Benson posted 10 points and handed out six assists.
 
West Alabama (15-5, 10-3 GSC) was led by Josh Fleming, who scored 20 points. The Tigers won the battle of the boards 35-25.
 
UWF (8-13, 4-9 GSC) will travel to AUM on Monday for a 7:30 contest vs. the Warhawks (6-14, 2-10 GSC). The Argos will return home Feb. 14 vs. Delta State.
 
"I like our camaraderie right now. Our togetherness is good. I think guys our playing for each other, and that's good going down the stretch," said Burkhamer.
 
For the latest information on UWF men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter @UWFMensBBall.