Dec. 15, 2007
ST. LEO, Fla. - The West Florida Argonauts came out sluggish as if they hadn't played in two weeks. Their last game was December 3rd at Loyola, and the rust from taking final exams was apparent. West Florida missed 10 of their first 12 shots and didn't score until four minutes into the contest. Dominique Boykins came off the bench to get the first points for West Florida. The offensive drought continued and UWF trailed 18-6 only 10 minutes into the contest.
After falling behind by 12 points, the Argonauts climbed back to within four at 25-21 after a Laura Davis three pointer. However, the Lions outscored the Argos 12-4 to finish out the first half. Davis and Boykins led the Argos with eight points each in the first half. Boykins would hit six free throws in the first half to help keep the Argos from being buried early on. St. Leo used their quickness and grabbed 11 offense rebounds in the first half, and out-rebounded West Florida 26-15 in the first half.
West Florida shot just 29% in the first half, with the starters connecting on only three of 15 shots for 20%. The Argonauts fell to 5-5 on the season, while St. Leo improved to 5-2. West Florida finished the night shooting 30% from the field, and hitting on only two of 17 three point attempts. The Lions' Amanda Holloway led all scorers with 15 points, and Dominique Daniels had 16 rebounds for St. Leo.
The second half started just like the start of the game, as West Florida missed their first four shots and immediately fell behind by 17 points. St. Leo's biggest lead was 19 points at 56-37. The bright spot for West Florida was the bench, as they outscored the starters 28-20. The only starter that played well was Samantha Schlaegel, who contributed eight points and eight rebounds. Caitlin Salak scored four points and collected four rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench.
Boykins led the Argos with 12 points, while Davis contributed 10 points. Overall the Argos were out-rebounded by a 52-33 margin, and allowed the Lions 20 offensive rebounds. West Florida plays again on the road at Tampa on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm EST., in the last of five consecutive road games. The Argonauts lost at Loyola (New Orleans) by a 76-72 score, after winning the first two games of the current five game road trip. The next home games for West Florida are in the Holiday Tournament on December 29th and 30th, when they host Henderson State and Arkansas Monticello.
