Box Score


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – West Alabama (3-4; 0-2) men's basketball team struggled to hang on to a first half lead over Alabama-Huntsville (6-1; 2-0) in a 69-60 loss on Saturday.

“We played a very good first half, but we had some lapses defensively in the second half,” said West Alabama head coach Mike Newell.

“Our main focus in practice has been on letting the game come to us instead of forcing things to happen, and we did a good job of that in the first half but we struggled in the second half when UAH began to make its run.”

The Tigers shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and commanded a 39-32 lead at halftime. However, they struggled in the second half shooting only 34 percent from the field.

Steven Samuels led the Tigers in scoring with 15 points. Desmond Raymond hit three of his four three point shots on his way to 13 total points.

The Tigers struggled to slow down UAH's Jaime Smith who ended the game with 20 total points.

Free-throw shots proved to be a vital factor for the Tigers. West Alabama hit only three of its ten free-throws, while Alabama-Huntsville posted 19 of 25.

“We had them on the ropes tonight but the difference came down to experience,” Newell said.

“When the game got tight they didn't panic but we did. They were able to jump up on us six or seven points late in the game and that is hard to overcome on the road. Now we just have to make the corrections.”

The Tigers will now have a break to regroup and prepare to travel to Stillman on December 15.