Jan. 12, 2008
PENSACOLA, Fla. - Something had to give when the best defensive team in the conference met the top scoring team in the conference. West Florida came into the game holding opponents to a low 36.6 percentage field goal percentage, while North Alabama came in averaging 86.6 points per game. North Alabama liked the pace of the first half, while the Argonauts controlled the tempo in the second half with great defense. However, in the end, the Lions hit the shot that counted the most.
The first half was a shootout, as the Argos were hot early and raced out to a 16-7 lead, and led 27-20 before North Alabama went on a 20-6 run to go up 40-33. The half closed out with the Lions up 47-37, in a half that was to the liking of the high scoring Lions. North Alabama shot 47 percent in the first half, against the league's toughest defense.
The Argos Ryan Henry hit three 3-pointers early on, while Deondre Boynton connected on two long range shots. Then, North Alabama got into the act, as they connected on five of their next eight three point attempts to take a 10 point lead. Thomas Fraise led the Lions and all scorers at halftime with 15 points, including two 3-pointers. Quinn Beckwith also added two 3-pointers. The Argonauts hit nine three pointers in the first half, while the Lions connected on six.
While the first half was exactly what North Alabama wanted, the Argos controlled the tempo in the second half, and shut down the Lions, holding them to only 34 percent shooting in the final twenty minutes. West Florida took the lead with 3:12 to play, however, Beckwith hit a big three pointer for the Lions to give them a 78-75 lead, and North Alabama held on to win 80-77.
Head Coach Don Hogan commented afterwards. "I thought the first half decided the outcome of the game. We played extremely hard the second half. We had a lot of opportunities, and we made some big plays. I can see this team getting better and better throughout the season."
The Argonauts cut into the halftime lead, and took a four point lead late in the second half; however, the Lions had just enough to hang on. "We made some second half adjustments and we did a great job holding their shooting down the second half and we out rebounded them," said Hogan in reference to the strong second half by the Argonauts.
West Florida (10-5, 0-1 GSC) was led by Charles Bouie with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots. Deondre Boynton added 16 points, while Ryan Henry scored 15 and pulled down eight rebounds. Rod Doss was the fourth Argo in double digits with 11 points. Fraise led all scorers with 27 points, and he also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Lions (13-5, 1-0 GSC).
In a game that may have featured the top two teams in the GSC East, the game lived up to its billing with several exciting plays down the stretch. Boynton had a fantastic steal and finished with a layup at the other end, and Bouie had a couple spectacular blocks, as he came out of nowhere to stop a couple easy baskets. Meanwhile, the Lions also produced some key plays down the stretch, with no bigger than Beckwith's 3-pointer with defenders in his face.
The Argos will go on the road next weekend for games at Alabama Huntsville and West Georgia. "We don't play again until next Saturday on the road (vs. Alabama Huntsville), so we have a week to practice and get better defensively, stated Hogan. The next home game for UWF is in two weeks, when Montevallo comes to town on Saturday, January 26th, for a 2:30 tip off.
