Dec. 27, 2007

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Both the men and women will be hosting holiday basketball tournaments on December 29th and 30th. The Women's Holiday Classic tournament will involve Henderson State, Arkansas Monticello, West Alabama and West Florida. The Women's games will be at Noon and 2:00 pm for both Saturday and Sunday, with the Argonauts playing at 2:00 pm each day. The Men's tournament is the Comfort Inn-Pensacola Beach Hoop Classic, and will involve Fayetteville State, Missouri - St. Louis, Ouachita Baptist, and West Florida. The Men's games will be at 4:30 and 6:30 pm for both Saturday and Sunday, with the Argonauts tipping off in the 6:30pm game each day.

The women's tournament features a West vs. East Gulf South Conference cross-over. On Saturday, Arkansas Monticello will play West Alabama at Noon, and then West Florida will host Henderson State at 2:00 pm. Arkansas Monticello and Henderson State represent the West Division of the Gulf South Conference, while West Florida and West Alabama represent the East Division. Arkansas Monticello comes into the tournament with a 6-4 record, while West Alabama is currently 3-6. The 2:00 pm game features a 5-4 Henderson State team vs. the 5-6 Argonauts. On Sunday, West Alabama will tip off vs. Henderson State, while the Argos will battle with Arkansas Monticello.

The UWF women have lost three consecutive games, and have not played a home game since November 27th, when they defeated Albany State 75-65. The last five games were played on the road, and the Argos won the first two, but then lost to Loyola, St. Leo, and Tampa before the Christmas break. West Florida is led in scoring by freshman Chelsea Patterson at 12.5 points per game. Sophomore Dominique Boykins is averaging 10.2 points per game, and shooting 51% from the field. Senior Tara Russ leads the team in rebounding with 7.4 per contest, while sophomore Point Guard Amy Drake is dishing out 4.2 assists per game. Despite shooting less than 35% in the previous two losses, the Argos are shooting 40% from the field for the season.

The West Florida women will take on two teams that rank first and third in the GSC in three-point shooting. Arkansas Monticello makes 10 three pointers per game and connects on 38% of their long range shots, while Henderson State is shooting 36% from three point land. Arkansas Monticello is led by Andrea Dubose at 14.8 points per game, while Kristi Martin is scoring 12.1 points per game. Henderson State is lead by Chanlee Bottoms and Jazmine Ellis, who are both scoring 12.3 points per game.

UWF Holiday Classic (Women's Tournament):

Dec 29: Noon: Arkansas Monticello vs. West Alabama

2:00pm: WEST FLORIDA vs. Henderson State

Dec 30: Noon: Henderson State vs. West Alabama

2:00pm: WEST FLORIDA vs. Arkansas Monticello