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LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama basketball teams return to Pruitt Hall on Thursday, Feb. 18 as both teams will host Gulf South Conference East Division leaders Valdosta State. The women's contest is set for 6 p.m. with the men's duel to follow at 8 p.m.
As GSC teams jockey for one of the four spots from each division for the GSC Tournament, UWA stands fourth in the division on the women's side with a 3-4 conference mark. The Tiger men are 2-5 in the league with three key division games on the docket. After Thursday's affair, UWA will trek to Carrollton, Ga. on Saturday, Feb. 20 before closing out the regular season against UAH on Feb. 27.
The UWA (7-17) women return to GSC play after going 1-1 last week on the hardwood. The Tigers rebounded from a 62-60 loss at UNA to become the first GSC member to defeat Lambuth this season with an 85-81 win over the Lady Eagles. The Red and White erased a 14-point second half deficit, snapping LU's nine-game win streak. UWA was a tenth of a second away from earning its fourth straight conference win at Flowers Hall last Thursday evening. Latashia Greer led a trio of Tigers who averaged double figures for the week. The Dadeville, Ala.-junior averaged 30 points per game for the week, including a career-high 38 points at LU. Keiara Middleton and Lacey Griffin also averaged double digits with 14 and 10 points respectively during the two games.
VSU (15-7, 7-0 GSC) enters the outing riding an 11-game win streak and undefeated in conference play. The Lady Blazers last lost came on Dec. 30, a 67-59 setback to Nova Southeastern. Michelle Thompson paces VSU with 11.4 points per game while Sierra Nixon is the third leading rebounder in the conference with 8.5 boards per contest. This marks the second meeting this season between the two GSC East Division members. VSU claimed a 61-43 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 21.
The UWA men (12-12) will look to avenge a 92-55 setback to the nationally-ranked Blazers earlier this season. The Tigers, who currently hold a two-game home winning streak, dropped its last outing at North Alabama, 78-77. Senior forward Jason Swanson posted his third-straight double-double and 13th this season with a team-best 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Troy, Ala.-native is averaging a double-double on the season with a 15.2 scoring output average and pulling down 10.2 rebounds per contest. Swanson ranks 17th in the NCAA in rebounds per game. UWA continues to rank among the top teams in the GSC from behind the three-point arc. As a team, the Tigers are averaging 8.4 treys per game and are draining 41.5 percent from three-point range. The tandem of Richard Sirju and Alquan Mendenhall have accounted for 145 of UWA's 201 three-pointers. Both rank sixth and ninth respectively in the NCAA three-point shooting percentage rankings.
