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PENSACOLA, Fla. – The UWF Men's Basketball will travel to Mississippi College this weekend, for games against Mississippi College and Delta State.
 
Tip-off against the Choctaws is set for 7:30 PM on Thursday in Jackson, Mississippi, while the contest against the Statesmen is Saturday at 4 PM in Cleveland.  UWF split the contests with the teams when they visited the UWF Field House in early December.  The game against Mississippi College has been moved to Belhaven College's Rugg Arena.  Admission for Thursday night's game will be free.
 
West Florida, 6-11 and 4-9 in Gulf South Conference play, has won two of their last three contests, which includes a 72-70 victory over Shorter at home on Saturday.  Tautvydas Kupstas led all scorers with 24 points, with six made three-pointers, while Xavier Washington added 11 points and nine rebounds.  Channick Nkoma had another strong game inside, tying Washington with nine rebounds while Sterling White III compiled four assists.
 
The Argonauts, 10^th in the GSC standings, are averaging 71.1 points per contest, while they are holding opponents to 74.8 points per game, the sixth best mark in the league.  UWF is also tied for fifth in field goal percentage defense, as they limit the opposition into shooting only 43.7 percent.
 
Washington leads the team and is 16^th in the GSC in scoring at 14.1 points per game, while the Palmetto, Florida native is second in the league in rebounds per contest at 7.3, despite not being among the top 30 players in minutes per contest.  Kupstas is averaging 12.1 points per contest on a team-high 42 made three-pointers, while White III has a team-best 56 assists on the year. Myles Ruth leads the squad with 21 steals on the year.
 
Kupstas Shooting From Long Range: Kupstas, a graduate student from Kaunas, Lithuania, has been on a tear from outside the arc recently, as he has knocked down 14 three-point field goals in his last three games.  Tautvydas set season-high marks in both points (24) and three-point field goals (6) in Saturday's win over the Hawks.  He now sits in third place in the GSC in three-point percentage (.408) and is tied for fifth in three-pointers per game (2.5).
 
White Assisting Others: Sterling White III has been one of the top guards, not only in the GSC, but in all of Division II this winter.  White, a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, has 56 total assists on this season, which equates to 3.3 per game, the 11^th best mark in the league.  Also, White has only committed nine turnovers on the year, allowing for a 6.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is the best mark in the country, regardless of classification.
 
Washington Stuffing The Stat Sheet: Xavier Washington was all over the floor last weekend for UWF, earning at least one mark in the following categories in both games: points, free throws, rebounds, steals, blocks and assists.  The forward from Palmetto, Florida registered his 14^th game with at least 10 point and ninth game with at least eight or more rebounds in the victory over Shorter.  He also has compiled three games with four or more assists and at least two steals.
 
Scouting Mississippi College: The Choctaws come into the matchup at 8-8 overall and 7-5 in GSC play, putting them in sixth place in the league.  Mississippi College is scoring 69.3 points per game, which is last in the conference, while they are fourth in scoring defense at 70.4 points per contest.
 
Rashad Bolden leads the way for the Choctaws with 24.4 points per game, which is best in the GSC and second in all of Division II.  The guard has scored at least 20 points in 13 games, while he also has the second-highest scoring game by a GSC player this year when he registered 35 points against Lee.  Cam Brown is the only other Choctaw in double-figures, with 12.4 points per contest.
 
Series History: Dating back to 2012, UWF is 11-6 against the Choctaws which includes a 5-2 mark in Clinton.  UWF fell in the first meeting of the season between the two teams, 77-72 in overtime.  Xavier Washington had 27 points and 15 rebounds.
 
Scouting Delta State: The Statesmen come into the matchup at 10-7 overall and 8-5 in league action, placing them in fifth in the GSC.  DSU is fourth in the league in scoring at 80.6 points per game, while their scoring defense is eighth in the league, with Delta State allowing 76.8 points per contest.
 
Maalik Cartwright is 11^th in the GSC in scoring at 15.9 points per game, while he is also third in the GSC in rebounding at 7.2 boards per contest.  Keithean Brooks leads DSU and is sixth in the league in scoring at 16.8 points per game.
 
Series History: Dating back to 2008, UWF is 14-13 against the Statesmen, with UWF winning the last four matchups.  West Florida prevailed, 93-84, on December 3^rd with six players for the Argos scoring in double-figures.
 
For the latest on the UWF Men's Basketball Team, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @UWFMensBBall.