PENSACOLA, Fla. – LaTrell Tate scored 17 points in the second half, including 12 in the final 8:49, to lead UWF to a 82-78 win over Valdosta State at the UWF Field House on Sunday.
 
Tate ended with a game-high 23 points for his fifth 20-plus point game in the last seven outings. Jejuan Weatherspoon had five points, six rebounds and a block in the final 6:30 off the bench.
 
"LaTrell was very good at finishing and then Jejuan came in and was very good on the offensive boards," UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer said. "He had a couple of great defensive plays with a blocked shot in the final 11 seconds and those are returning players who need to play like returning players.
 
"That's why we are playing better and that's why we have won three in a row. We did a nice job keeping (Valdosta State) off the glass and, for the most part, keeping them out of transition and limiting their 3-pointers."
 
Tate took over in the second half, making including three-consecutive buckets to put UWF ahead 70-67. After four-straight points for the Blazers, Weatherspoon made a pair of free throws and then got a huge offensive putback to go up 74-71. On the next Argo possession, he got another putback for a 76-73 advantage.
 
From there, Tate had a pull-up jumper and two free throws, giving the Argos an 80-76 edge.
 
VSU pulled within two on a Cade Boser layup with 1:01 left. The teams traded two turnovers each as VSU took possession with 20 seconds remaining. Weatherspoon blocked the Blazers' first attempt, setting up another attempt with 10 seconds after a timeout.
 
But Tate stole the ball on a drive in the lane by Jacolbey Owens and then knocked down a pair of free throws to ice the Argos' third-consecutive victory.
 
UWF led 42-40 at the half.
 
VSU (8-6, 4-4) shot 42 percent and was led by Mohamed Fofana's 17 points and seven rebounds. 
 
UWF will be off for the 10-day NCAA Division II Life In Balance break before returning to action at Montevallo on Saturday, Dec. 31.