LIVINGSTON, Ala. – A second half offensive surge by West Alabama lifted the Tigers to a 73-61 non-conference win over Auburn Montgomery on Thursday. UWA outscored the Warhawks 41-27 in the second half to improve to 6-6 overall; AUM drops to 7-4.  

Simeon Dennis, Acie Vance and Deontaye Ewing combined to account for 29 of UWA's second half points, leading the Tigers to 11-of-22 from the field and 4-of-8 from the 3-point line in the period. West Alabama finished shooting 43 percent (22-of-51) from the field.

Dennis led the squad with 15 total points, shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Vance tallied 14 points, followed by Ewing with 13. Vance went on to set the team's new single game season high of assists with eight.

Tyler Chaisson came off the bench to add 11 points, leading the team at the free-throw line, 5-for-6. UWA combined to complete 22-of-26 free throws (84 percent), while Auburn Montgomery struggled to sink 14-of-25 (56 percent).

After falling behind 7-0 to begin the game, AUM rallied with a nine point run and taking a seven point lead with four and half minutes left in the first half. The Warhawks led 34-32 at the break, but their lead lasted only 30 seconds before an eight point run by the Tigers to open the second half put UWA back on top for good.

"We gave up some points that we shouldn't have in the first half," said UWA head coach Allen Sharpe. "It was real discouraging at halftime, but we came back out and played much better in the second. We had much better effort on both ends. We felt like we ended on a good note heading into Saturday."

UWA's defense stood tall, leading 39-32 in rebounds and 9-2 in blocked shots. Simeon Dennis led with three blocks, while Logan Adams, Dakari Mayo and Tyler Chaisson each posted two. Adams led with nine boards.

West Alabama men's hoops will return to Gulf South Conference action on Saturday when it plays host to Shorter University. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Pruitt Hall.