Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
LaJuan Hardy
Trent Spruell | Trent S. Photography
45
Paine PC 0-7
85
Winner West Alabama UWA 7-2
Paine PC
0-7
45
Final
85
West Alabama UWA
7-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Paine PC 19 26 45
West Alabama UWA 33 52 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Tigers Demolish Paine, 85-45

LIVINGSTON – The best defense in NCAA Division II made its presence felt again Wednesday when West Alabama demolished Paine College, 85-45, at Pruitt Hall Gym.
 
The win was West Alabama's sixth straight at home and improves the Tigers to 7-2. Paine is winless in seven games.
 
West Alabama came into the game allowing just 53 points per game, and after holding the Lions to 45, saw that average dip a point to 52. Paine managed to convert just 37 percent (18-48) from the floor while the Tigers made 60 percent (36-60).

"We have to keep guarding people," UWA head coach Allen Sharpe said. "It's who we are, our identity and we have bought into it. It's our ticket.
 
"For us to shoot 60 percent is huge," Sharpe said. "We obviously shot it very well and Darron (Johnson) has been scoring the ball well."
 
Johnson scored 18 points on a 7-for-11 shooting night from the field, but LaJuan Hardy led the Tigers with 22 points and was an assist away from a double-double. Ricky Dunnaway chipped in 16 points while making 7-of-9 field goal attempts and was a rebound shy of a double-double.
 
""It would be hard without LaJuan out there," Sharpe said. "It's not just his scoring, but his game management abilities as well."
 
Mike Davis led UWA rebounders with 10 and Rene Scott's six steals were one short of the Tiger single game record. UWA was two shy of the team record for steals in a game with 14.
 
West Alabama led 33-19 at the half and led for all of the game save 18 seconds when the score was tied to following the opening tip. The Tigers destroyed the Lions in the paint, outscoring Paine 52-20 and outrebounding the Lions 34-23.
 
"A lot of people think these kind of games are fun, but I hate them," Sharpe said. "I just don't want to get anybody hurt because winning in and of itself is hard enough."
 
Keyon Faulkner-Smith led Paine with 22 points and nine rebounds. No other Lion scored in double digits. Charles Moore, the Lions leading scorer coming into the game at 17.8 points per game, was limited to just two first-half points.
 
West Alabama returns to Gulf South Conference play at Shorter on Monday. Paine stays on the road, traveling to Kentucky State on Saturday.
 
 
Print Friendly Version