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SOUTHAVEN, Miss.
– The University of West Alabama men’s basketball
team ended its season with an opening round, 82-56,
setback to Harding University in the 2009 Gulf South
Conference Tournament.
The loss ended the
Tigers season at 13-15 overall and finished fourth in
the GSC East Division. UWA made its first appearance to
the GSC post season since the 1997-98 campaign.
In the opening
half, it was all Black and Gold, as HU drained 56
percent (17-30) from the field and pulled 6-of-10 from
behind the three-point stripe to extend its lead out to
as many as 26 points, 49-23, the halftime intermission
score. UWA, who trailed from the opening tip, got a
fast break lay up from junior guard Herman Mains to trim
the Bisons edge down to 28-21, but HU took command of
the contest on both ends of the floor, stringing
together a 21-2 scoring run over the final six minutes
of the half. UWA’s lone basket was a lay up by Lucas
Hall with 45 ticks left in the half.
The Tigers trimmed
the HU deficit down to 13 points, 59-46, at the 13:10
mark, as the Red and White installed a half court trap
defense that stymied the Bisons and sparked the Tigers
offense with a pair of Chris Davis three-pointers. UWA
went on a scoring drought, as HU extended the deficit
out to as many as 26 points on multiple occasions,
including the final margin of 82-56. The Bisons
out-scored the Tigers 23-10 from the 13:10 point of the
half.
Senior Jamaine
Nance scored a team-best 15 points in his final contest
in a UWA uniform. The Huntsville, Ala.-native added
three assists and a pair of steals. Junior Jonathan
Griffin added 12 points off the bench. UWA’s leading
scorer, Jason Swanson, was held to a season-low five
points. The junior First Team All-GSC performer was
marred with foul trouble throughout the night. Swanson
pulled down eight rebounds in the affair.
HU, who advances to
meet top-seeded Christian Brothers out of the GSC West,
was led by Sam Brown’s 16 points, 12 coming from behind
the three-point arc. Kevin Brown registered 14 points
while Blake Stephen added 13 points off the bench. |
