PENSACOLA, Fla. - A steep challenge facing the UWF women's basketball team Saturday against nationally-ranked Union proved too much.

Creating constant turnovers off their relentless, full-court press, the Bulldogs pulled away in the second quarter and went on to a 86-69 victory at the UWF Field House. The game matched the top two teams in the Gulf South Conference standings.

The Argos were surging with a six-game win streak entering Saturday's showdown.  

Union (14-2, 9-0 in GSC), ranked No. 12 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll, No. 20 in the D-2 media poll, forced 27 turnovers and converted 14 shots from 3-point range. All 10 of their players on the court Saturday scored points.

"They are a top caliber team," said UWF coach Stephanie Lawrence-Yelton. "They're not a top 15 team in the country without a reason and they're not the top team in our league for no reason.
"They can put a hurtin' on anybody on any given night."

After the Argos (11-4, 7-2 in GSC) jumped to a 10-point lead with five minutes left in the first quarter, thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Haidyn Pitsch, their struggles against the Union's tenacious defense press began to take a toll. The Bulldogs converted a layup off a turnover to take a 34-28 lead with 5:39 left in the second quarter, leading to a 45-39 lead at halftime.

Union expanded its lead in the third quarter, continuing to force turnovers and benefiting from UWF being unable to answer on ensuing possessions. A spin move by Union's Emily Jones that she converted while fouled, followed by the free throw, gave the Bulldogs a 62-48 lead with 3:06 left in the third quarter.

That double-digit lead was maintained the rest of the way.

"We started to lose some confidence and really had to sustain," said Yelton. "But when Union sees you wilting a little bit, they turn it up and take advantage and when they start hitting shots it helps their confidence."

The Bulldogs have become a force in the GSC by playing a full-court pressing defense from start to finish.

"They changed the style of play they are doing now about three years ago and they have really figured it out with recruiting and getting the types of players they need to be successful with this style," Yelton said. "And how they needed to manipulate their offense, they've really got it figured out. And we're in the infancy of trying to play faster. If we are going to play faster like this, these are the things we have to adapt to. These are thing we have to do in the future. They adjust their press. They've got different levels to how they are pressing. And they have a large roster they can do that with."

The Argos' Rylie Stephens had a sensational game for UWF with 30 points, six rebounds and four steals. Pitsch had 12 points and seven rebounds. Remi Langmaid had 11 points and the Argos third scorer in double figures.

Union starting guard Alexis Collins led her team with 17 points. She was one of five players scoring in double figures.

In addition to the turnovers, UWF struggled from 3-point range, making just 9-of-29 attempts. The game itself, however, provided UWF some positive takeaways. The Argos have 13 conference games remaining in the season.

"When we are good, we are really good," Yelton said. "And when we are making mistakes, we can't feel sorry for ourselves and start falling into bad habits. And it's about keeping our head up We haven't lost any ground by losing this game. We are still in second place in the league. (Saturday) was an opportunity to take a step forward. We didn't, but it's okay. We are still maintaining where we were before the game started. So now it's regroup… we've got lot of games left and we'll get another chance at (Union). "

The Argos will next travel to face Auburn-Montgomery on Thursday in Montgomery, Ala., followed by a game Jan. 18 against Montevallo.