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PENSACOLA, Fla.- After playing four of their first five games in Pensacola, the UWF Men's Basketball Team will now have three straight games on the road, beginning with a two-game series at Gulf South Conference opponent, Lee on Friday and Saturday. Friday's tip-off is set for 6 pm ET, while Saturday the game begins at 2 pm ET.
West Florida (2-3) is looking to bounce back after dropping their two games last week against Valdosta State and West Georgia. Senior guard
Tarik Mckelphin was a big contributor on both ends of the floor for the Argonauts, averaging 20 points and 13.5 rebounds in the two contests. Fellow guard,
Daniel Sofield, also continued his strong play scoring 17 points in both contests. Sofield now paces the team with 17 points a night.
Junior
Wendell Matthews had his best game of young season in Saturday's game against West Georgia as he poured in 16 points and grabbed eight boards. The forward from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, also played 20 minutes, a season-high.
Conor Flanagan and
Cameron Cox had 11 and 13 points, respectively, which made Saturday the first time all year that the Argonauts had five different players in double-figures in scoring.
Tarik The Freak: Mckelphin, a 6-3 guard, has been everywhere on the court for UWF this season. He is currently tops on the team in minutes per game (36.2), total rebounds (50), rebounds per game (10.0), steals (9), blocks (7) and is second on the team in points per game with 16.8. Tarik is also in the top 10 of the GSC in points per game, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and minutes. On December 15th, Mckelphin was named the GSC East Player of the Week after his 32-point, 10 rebound performance in a win over Lee, making him the first Argo to garner the award since
Darryl Tucker in December of 2017.
The Sharpshooter From New Jersey: Sofield, a sophomore from Jackson, New Jersey, has been on fire from beyond the arc this season. His 15 three-point field goals and .536 three-point percentage lead the team. The three-point percentage and threes per contest place him third and fourth in the GSC in those categories. He is also shooting 50 percent from the field overall (28-56), tying him with Jaylen Lemons of Delta State for 10th best in the conference. Daniel has already made his mark in the West Florida record book this season, shooting 6-7 from outside en route to scoring 24 points in a win over AUM on January 9th. The 6-7 night tied him for second in program history.
Firepower Off The Bench: The Argonauts have relied on a deep pool of players this season. In fact, UWF has outscored four of five of their opponents off the bench, with the average margin being 11.75 per contest. Three different Argos have been the high-scorer off the bench this year with
Tate Mulkey and Matthews, being keys in six-man roles last week, scoring 17 and 16 points, respectively against VSU and UWG.
Scouting Lee: The Flames (5-1), come into the weekend contest's winning five in a row, including a sweep over previously unbeaten and fifth-ranked Valdosta State. Lee is led by Coach Ryan "Bubba" Smith, who is in fourth season with the program. Pre-season All-GSC East Selection, Quay Kennedy, has certainly shown why he was selected as he scored at least 22 points in three games this season. The back-to-back GSC East Player of the Week, was instrumental in the Flames' wins over the Blazers, scoring 48 points and collecting 14 rebounds combined in the two match-ups.
Beyond Kennedy, Lee also relies upon guards Beyuan Hendricks and Michael McGuirk who both average double-figures in scoring, to attack opponents on the offensive end. Defensively, the Flames are stout, ranking fourth in the conference in points allowed (68.2), third in field-goal percentage defense (.424), and third in three-point field goal percentage (.302).
Series History: All-time, UWF is 4-9 against the Flames, with an 0-6 record in Cleveland, Tennessee. However, the Argos did defeat Lee back on December 12th as Mckelphin and Brett Carter Jr. combined for 44 points in a 79-66 victory at the UWF Field House.
For the latest information on the UWF Men's Basketball Team, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the team on Twitter @UWFMensBBall.
