VALDOSTA, Ga. – Rylie Stephens led the Argonauts with 21 points and
Remi Langmaid added a clutch 3-pointer to push the UWF women's basketball team ahead of Eckerd in the fourth quarter, eventually winning the game 66-55 at The Complex in Valdosta, Ga. on Thursday.
Eckerd held the lead after the first quarter before West Florida put up 27 points in the second quarter to hold a lead heading into halftime. The Tritons were able to tie the game up at 49-49 in the fourth quarter but Langmaid's triple with 4:53 remaining gave UWF the lead back and the team never let Eckerd back into the game.
UWF earned their season-opener win and shot 34.5 percent in the game and was 19-of-24 at the line for 79 percent. The Argonauts got 10 second-chance points off 6 offensive rebounds and forced the Tritons into 25 turnovers, adding 8 steals to their stat line.
Haidyn Pitsch and Langmaid made two 3-pointers each, both coming at pivotal moments for West Florida in the final quarter. Stephens went 11-of-12 at the line and added 7 rebounds, she led the team in both categories.
The first quarter started off close before the Tritons made a push to extend their lead by seven shortly before the end of the quarter. Stephens knocked in two free-throws to make that lead only five for Eckerd.
The Tritons held a 9-point lead (22-13) with 8 minutes left until the half. A 3-pointer by Carmen Jones tied things up at 26-26 five minutes into the second quarter and pushed the Argonauts to end the half with an 8-point lead.
In the third, Eckerd pushed within two points with three minutes left and again with a minute and a half. Bella Stone secured a fastbreak layup to extend the lead 47-43 headed into the final quarter.
In the final quarter, Langmaid's 3-pointer that broke the tie was then followed up by another triple from Pitsch to give UWF the momentum and a six-point advantage. The Argos went 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to close out the game and walk away with the season opening win.
Eckerd shot 36 percent and was led offensively by Chance Bucher with 20 points and Martyna Kowalska with 14.
The Argos will return to action on Friday as they continue play in Valdosta, Ga. against Palm Beach Atlantic. Tip-off at The Complex is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.
