LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama men's basketball team dropped its third straight Gulf South Conference contest as UWA fell 84-71 to No. 4 UAH. The Tigers fall to 8-13 on the season and 3-5 in conference play while UAH remains unblemished in GSC action and improves to 22-2 overall.
Alquan Mendenhall paced the Tigers in scoring as the Pine Hill, Ala. guard scored 26 points in the losing effort. Mendenhall connected on 66 percent of his shots from behind the arc. Richard Dixon added 16 points off the bench and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds while Ryan Fitch tallied 14 points.

UAH – which never trailed in the contest - recorded 40 of its 84 points in the paint in the win.

Despite turning the ball over 12 times – leading to 20 UAH points - the Tigers hung with the nationally ranked Chargers through the first 30 minutes of action. The Blue and White took its first double digit lead of the contest (52-41) with 12:16 remaining on a layup by Elliott Jones. Jones finished the night with 11 points – one of four Chargers in double figures.

The Tigers narrowed the UAH lead to 59-53 – behind a 12-7 run, but it would be the closest the Red and White would get the remainder of the way. A 6-2, Chargers' run pushed the deficit back to double figures at 65-55. UAH reached its largest lead of the game – 13 points - with 16 ticks left on the clock when Jamie Smith sank a pair of free throws to ice the contest. Smith led all scorers with 19 points. Josh Magette added 18 points with Conner Blasi chiming in 11 off the bench. Josh Yost proved to be the catalyst on the glass for the Blue and White as he hauled in six rebounds.

UWA finished the night shooting 47 percent from behind the arc – the second most this season – and 46 from the field. UAH connected on 50 percent of its shots from the floor.

The Tigers return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Pensacola, Fla. to take on West Florida. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be heard on ESPN 104.9 and at www.uwaathletics.com.

Fans can follow the Tigers on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UWAathletics) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/UWAathletics). Additionally, fans may also sign up to receive SMS text alerts at www.uwathletics.com.