LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama men's basketball team put the finishing touches on the non-conference schedule with a 91-74 win over Carver Bible College on Saturday afternoon at Pruitt Hall.
The win pushes UWA's overall mark to 12-11 on the season as UWA prepares for the Gulf South Conference East Division stretch run, beginning Thursday, Feb. 11 at North Alabama. The non-league win bumps UWA to a 10-7 worksheet against non-conference foes.
The Tigers pulled away from the Cougars of CBC after putting together a 22-8 scoring run over a six-minute period in the second half. CBC trimmed UWA's 10-point halftime lead down to four points at 61-57 with 11:50 left in the contest before the Tigers put together the scoring spurt that pushed the lead out to 20 points at 83-63 at the 5:15 mark of the final 20 minutes. Sophomore Alquan Mendenhall and junior Trevell Coleman keyed the Tigers scoring onslaught as the duo combined for 20 of UWA's 47 second half points. Mendenhall posted all 10 of his points in the second half as the sophomore from Camden, Ala. nailed a trio of three-pointers and a free throw. Coleman came off the bench for his 10 points as the Shelton State Community College transfer dished out a game-high five assists.
Senior Richard Sirju paced the Tigers in the scoring column with 25 points in his 26 minutes of action. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla,-native drained four treys and connected on 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. Senior forward Jason Swanson posted his second-straight double-double and his 12th of the season with a 14 point, 11 rebound outing. Swanson matched his season-best in blocks with five swats. He was credited with five earlier this season against Eckerd College. Redshirt freshman Logan Humbers added nine first half points, matching a season best.
Cory Evans led a trio of Cougars in scoring with 25 points. James Barbee and Joshua Caston pitched in 16 and 10 points respectively.
UWA's duel with UNA on Thursday, Feb. 11 is schedule to tip off at 8 p.m. at Flowers Hall on the UNA campus. The game will be carried on Fox Sports 104.9 FM along with audio on www.uwaathletics.com.
