THURSDAY vs. WEST ALABAMA: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TWITTER UPDATES
SATURDAY vs. ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE: LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | TWITTER UPDATES
 
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Coming off a 4-game road swing, the UWF women's basketball team will play five of its final seven at home, beginning with a pair against West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville at the UWF Field House this weekend. Tip-off on Thursday versus the Tigers is at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Argonauts welcome the Chargers to town for a 2 p.m. contest.
 
ABOUT THE ARGONAUTS
* UWF is 14-5 overall & 8-4 in Gulf South Conference play. The Argonauts went 1-3 on their recent 4-game road trip. UWF is in fourth place, just a few percentage points ahead of West Alabama. The top four teams host first round games in the GSC Tournament.
* Jaclyn Jarnot is one of the top players in the GSC while averaging a double-double of 16.5 points per game and 12.8 rebounds per game (1st in GSC, 5th in NCAA). Her 9.8 defensive boards per contest are 2nd in the country. The North Dakota transfer has registered a double-double in 12 games to rank fifth nationally. She has been the Argos' leading scorer six times (UWF is 5-1 in those games) and leading rebounder 13 times (12-1).
*Zoe Piller averages 15.7 ppg and 9.4 rpg with nine double-doubles. She has led the team in scoring nine times (7-2) and rebounding seven times (3-4). She is second in the GSC and 17th in the NCAA with a 57.1 FG pct. She ranks 17th in the NCAA and 1st in the GSC with 3.9 offensive rpg. Her scoring average is seventh in the NCAA among freshmen (4th among true freshmen who didn't play a COVID year last season). She has been the GSC Freshman of the Week five times (GSC record is six) and Player of the Week once. She is coming off her lowest shooting game of the season at Valdosta State on Saturday (2-for-9, .222)
* Gabby Brown is third in scoring with 8.5 ppg and third in rebounding at 4.4 rpg. Her 21 3-pointers and 1.1 3FG per game are fourth on the squad. She has led UWF in scoring twice this season.
* Maddie Griffon is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.5 ppg and second with 47 assists (3.8 apg). Her 18 steals are second among the Argos. She missed the last two games with a leg injury and only played three minutes at CBU, lowering her per game averages by 1.5 points and 1.0 assists.
* Charlotte Ellmore leads the team with 35:54 minutes per game and 75 assists (4th in GSC at 3.9 apg). She is 24th nationally and 2nd in the GSC with a 2.14 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
41ST SEASON OF UWF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
* UWF enters game with 602 all-time wins dating back 40-plus years to the inaugural season of 1981-82. The Argonauts are 602-523 all-time with six NCAA Tournament appearances, one Elite Eight, four GSC Regular-Season Championships and one GSC tourney title in 18 appearances.
* In 28 seasons of NCAA/GSC membership, the program is 426-331 for a .565 winning pct., ranking fifth among current members and third among those that have been in the league for at least 10 seasons.
 
PILLER-JARNOT ARE THE HIGHEST SCORING FRONTCOURT TANDEM IN THE COUNTRY
* UWF's starting frontcourt duo of Zoe Piller and Jaclyn Jarnot have combined for 32.2 points and 22.2 rebounds per game. That makes them the highest scoring frontcourt in the country and the 23rd highest scoring combo for any school.
* The duo has 21 combined double-doubles and the Argos are 6-1 when they have one in the same game.
 
ARGOS SET 3-POINT RECORD LAST WEEK IN SPRING HILL WIN
* UWF made a school-record 16 3-pointers in the win at Spring Hill last Tuesday. The Argos are not an exceptional shooting team from outside, making just 30 percent on the year, but connected on 16-of-33 for 49 percent against the Badgers, raising their average from 28.4 to 30.1.
* The previous school-record was 12 triples set twice in the 2020-21 season against Lee (1/22/21) and at West Georgia (2/16/21).
* UWF has made at least 10 3-pointers in a game just four times this season and is 2-2 in those games.
 
GETTING TO THE LINE
* UWF has done a very good job of getting to the free throw line this season, ranking in the top 50 nationally in both makes (45th, 267) and attempts (44th, 383). In fact, the Argonauts have almost made more free throws than their opponents have attempts (254 vs. 282).
* The five regular starters have all taken at least 30 free throws, with one of the top reserves, Fanny Hulmi, at 28 attempts. 
* Freshman Zoe Piller is second in the GSC with 115 attempts, behind Emily Jones with 122 attempts.
 
REBOUNDING A STRENGTH FOR UWF ONCE AGAIN
* Historically, UWF has been a dominant rebounding team at both ends of the floor and 2021-22 is no different. UWF ranks first in the GSC at 41.1 rpg, second in defensive rebounds at 28.2 (UWA is first at 28.4) and is fourth in rebound defense, allowing just 33.2 rpg. The 7.9 rebound margin is second (26th in NCAA), just behind Delta State at 8.9.
* UWF has outrebounded its opponents in 16 of 19 games and is 12-4 in those games. The Argos won both games they were outrebounded (at UAH and vs. Delta State) before Saturday's setback at VSU.
* Here is a chart showing where UWF has ranked in rebounding offense during the Stephanie Lawrence Yelton era:
 
Year    RPG     GSC Rank
2012-13           46.7     1st
2013-14           40.8     2nd
2014-15           45.8     1st
2015-16           40.5     2nd
2016-17           45.8     1st
2017-18           43.7     1st
2018-19           43.7     1st
2019-20           43.3     2nd
2020-21           42.7     1st
2021-22           41.1     1st   
 
ABOUT WEST ALABAMA
* UWA is 12-6 this season and 6-4 in GSC play, going 2-3 since their win over the Argos on New Year's Eve. The Tigers are 4-4 on the road and 3-2 in GSC arenas away from spacious Pruitt Hall.
* UWA averages 67.7 ppg on 45.3 pct. shooting (2nd in GSC) with 74 pct. of their attempts from inside the 3-point line. They average 39.1 rebounds per game and have a plus-6.0 rebounding margin, 15.6 assists and 8.3 steals per game. The Tigers are second in the GSC with 36.0 FG pct. defense.
* Tazsa Garret-Hammett leads the team and is sixth in the GSC at 15.7 points per game, along with 7.1 rebounds per game. Bria Dent joins Jaclyn Jarnot as the only players averaging a double-double, posting 15.4 ppg and 10.5 rpg. She also has 37 steals. Jala Williams runs the offense with 4.7 assists per contest and has a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
UWF-UWA SERIES HISTORY
* UWF is 30-25 against UWA since joining the NCAA and GSC in the 1994-95 season but have lost three-consecutive to the Tigers. The Argos are 15-5 in games played in Pensacola but have lost two of the last three after winning the previous nine.
* The teams did not play last season with the GSC East/West Division format. UWA swept the home-and-home in 2019-20, winning both games in an 8-day stretch from Jan. 25-Feb. 1.
* UWA claimed a 70-57 win on New Year's Eve, scoring 36 points in the paint with 31 points and seven rebounds from Tazsa Garrett-Hammett. Bria Dent had 10 and 10 as well. Peyton Lewis made five 3-pointers to lead UWF with 16 points, while Gabby Brown (11 points) and Charlottte Ellmore (11 points) had three triples apiece as UWF made 11 in the game. Zoe Piller had 11 points and 10 boards. Jaclyn Jarnot missed the game while in COVID Health and Safety Protocol.

ABOUT ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE
* The Chargers enter Thursday's game at Valdosta State 3-12 overall and 2-8 in GSC action. They are 2-2 since the loss to UWF on Jan. 2, collecting road wins over Montevallo and Shorter, while losinig at home to Christian Brothers and Montevallo.
* After missing much of December, Alexis Woods has averaged a double-double in the last five games with 15.4 ppg and 12.8 rpg, to raise her season averages to 12.6 and 7.9. Selena Pruitt averages 12.0 points with 4.7 rpg, and team-highs of 29 3-pointers (41.4 3FG pct.) and 27 steals. Miajah Bullock averages 9.8 ppg.
* UAH makes 41.4 pct of its field goals and is scoring at a 61.0 ppg clip. They allow 69.7 ppg on 42.5 shooting and are at a minus-5.8 rebound margin, an area they have improved greatly in the last five games with a plus-4.6.
 
UWF-UAH SERIES HISTORY
* UWF is 32-27 all-time versus UAH, including a 5-1 mark in the last six games. The Argonauts are 10-8 at home in the series but the Chargers have had success at the UWF Field House, winning six of the last eight dating back to the 2010-11 season.
* UWF gutted out a 64-60 win at Spragins Hall on Jan. 2 thanks to 17 points and nine rebounds from Zoe Piller, and a Maddie Griffon layup with 34 seconds left that put the Argos up by two. UWF outscored UAH 37-23 in the final 18 minutes.
 
YELTON IN TENTH SEASON AT UWF
* Stephanie Lawrence Yelton is in her tenth season at UWF and has a 163-111 record with the Argos … She is 220-195 in her 15th season as a head coach, which includes five seasons at Charleston Southern … The Morrow, Ga. native (suburb south of Atlanta) is a UNC grad from 1996 and was a 4-year letterwinner for the Tar Heels, where she won two ACC Championships and the 1994 NCAA National Championship – she threw the inbounds pass on Charlotte Smith's game-winning buzzer beater in the title game.
* Yelton was named the GSC Coach of the Year in 2013-14 and 2018-19.
* She is 12-5 against UWA and 7-7 against UAH.
 
WIN STREAK REACHED 10, TIED FOR NO. 3 IN PROGRAM HISTORY
* UWF reeled off 10-consecutive wins after a season-opening loss, which made the streak tied for the third-longest in UWF women's basketball history. The 1997-98 team that started 17-1, reeled off 14-straight after a 3-1 start to hold the record. The 2018-19 squad won the final 13 regular-season games for No. 2 on the list, just ahead of the 10-straight by this year's team and the 2005-06 team.
  
UWF PICKED 8TH IN GSC COACHES POLL
* UWF was picked to finish eighth in the GSC Preseason Coaches Poll, while the Wolves were picked ninth … Defending champion Union earned 10 of 12 first place votes and was picked first for the third-consecutive year. Lee received one first place vote, followed by Valdosta State with the 13th top vote. Montevallo took fourth, while Delta State rounded out the top five with Alabama Huntsville, West Alabama and West Florida sixth through eighth. West Georgia was ninth, with Christian Brothers, Mississippi College, Auburn Montgomery and Shorter also in the list.