BOX SCORE

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The UWF Men's Basketball Team shot 50 percent from the field but committed 23 costly turnovers in a 94-83 loss at Delta State on Saturday afternoon at Sillers Coliseum.
 
With the loss, West Florida drops to 6-13 and 4-11 in Gulf South Conference action while DSU improves to 11-8 and 9-6 in league play.
 
UWF shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc but committed 23 turnovers leading to 31 points for the Statesmen.  Ankit Choudhary had a season-high 18 points to lead the Argos while Rodney Bryant, Tautvydas Kupstas and Xavier Washington also scored in double-figures.  Washington and Sterling White III each had team-highs in rebounds and assists with eight and nine, respectively.

"Delta State hit some shots early which allowed them to space the floor more", said UWF Head Coach Justin Mann.  "Once that happened, we started to over help and they got it going in the paint.  I think their pressure got to use some and we made errors that they capitalized on.  We got really good shots when we broke the press and took care of the ball.  I am proud of the fight from the guys as we kept fighting until the end."
 
West Florida shot a season-high 60 percent in the first half, which contributed to an early 11-4 advantage, capped by a three-pointer from White III.  DSU would re-capture the lead three minutes later, with the Statesmen eventually building a nine-point advantage, the biggest by either team at that point, with seven minutes remaining in the half.
 
Le'Tarion White would cut the deficit to three with just under four minutes remaining, before Delta State would grow their lead back to eight on two separate occasions, before a dunk by Xavier Washington at the buzzer, sent the teams to halftime, with DSU leading 46-41.
 
The Statesmen came out of the locker strong, going on a 13-3 run in the first four minutes of the half to go up by 15.  UWF cut the lead to single digits on a jumper by Bryant and then again on a jumper by Kupstas a minute later, before a field goal by Keithan Brooks gave DSU their biggest lead of the night at 19, with 8:56 remaining.
 
West Florida battled hard throughout the remainder of the half but was unable to get the deficit under 10 points until the final minute of regulation, leading to the Statesmen victory.
 
Kolby Horace led Delta State with 23 points and six rebounds as the hosts shot 52 percent for the game, with 42 points coming inside the paint.  Kelen Dietrich and Maalik Cartwright added 18 points each for DSU.
 
Up next, UWF will travel to GSC-leading, West Georgia, for a road match-up on Wednesday night.  Tip-off from the Coliseum in Carrollton, Georgia is set for 7:30 PM ET.

"I love how we continue to fight but we need to correct some things", continued Mann.  "Thanks to all the fans who support us and we look forward to Wednesday at West Georgia.  Go Argos!"
 
For the latest on the UWF Men's Basketball Team, please visit GoArgos.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @UWFMensBBall.