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LIVINGSTON, Ala.
– The University of West Alabama men’s basketball team
bounced back from its pair of narrow losses from last
weekend in convincing fashion, downing in-state rival
Montevallo, 70-58, on Thursday night at Pruitt Hall.
The Tigers (9-11,
2-4 GSC) raced out to a 17-1 lead at the 14:59 mark of
the first half and never looked back, holding a
double-digit advantage the rest of the way. The Falcons
(11-11, 3-3 GSC) trimmed the 32-17 halftime deficit down
to 11 points at 33-22 in the early stages of the final
half, but UWA extended its lead out to as many as 20
points on three occasions. The Tigers held their
biggest lead of the affair at 64-41 with 5:29 left in
the contest on a Lucas Hall free throw. As a team, UWA
connected on 52 percent from the field and drained
9-of-20 from behind the three-point stripe. The Tiger
defense allowed UM just six made baskets in the first 20
minutes and 18 for the entire 40 minutes. UWA
out-rebounded UM 34-21.
The 12-point win by
UWA marks the largest margin of victory over its
in-state nemesis since the 2005-06 season. The Red and
White claimed an 86-74 win over the Falcons.
UWA was led by
junior Jason Swanson, who for the 12th
straight time, scored in double figures and pulled down
13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
The Troy, Ala. forward was five assists shy from
recording a triple-double. He also added a pair of
blocks and a steal to his credit. For the
second-straight contest, Terence Benson finished in
double figures with 13 points. The Clanton, Ala-junior
earned his first start of the season since joining the
UWA program at the semester break. He connected on four
of UWA’s nine treys.
Junior guard Chris
Davis pitched in 13 points and four assists while Lucas
Hall added nine points.
The Tigers will break from
competition over the weekend before closing out the
non-conference schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 4, against
Southeastern Bible College. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
at Pruitt Hall.
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