Men’s Hoops Preview – CBU, Union

Thursday, Feb. 13 vs. Christian Brothers University, 7:30 p.m. CST
Saturday, Feb. 15 vs. Union University, 4 p.m. CST

WHERE
Pruitt Hall Gymnasium in Livingston, Alabama for both contests.

ADMISSION
Tickets are $5 for Adults, $3 for Students. UWA Students with a valid ID are admitted free.

LINKS VS UM
Audio (ESPN 104.9) | Video | Stats

LINKS VS UWF
Audio (ESPN 104.9) | Video | Stats

WEST ALABAMA
The Tigers enter the weekend 17-6 overall and 10-5 in the Gulf South Conference after splitting a pair of league games on the road last week with a huge 75-54 win over Alabama-Huntsville Thursday night and a gut-wrenching 69-58 loss to Lee Saturday night. So far, UWA has posted a 12-3 record at home.

CHHRISTIAN BROTHERS
The Buccaneers are 11-12 this season and 7-8 in conference play. CBU played one game last week and it came Thursday night in an 87-77 victory at home against Delta State. Aiden Ruthsatz scored 25 points and played all 40 minutes. Also playing 40 minutes in the win was Mays Mitchell who went for 20 points and 17 rebounds. The Bucs are 3-8 on the road.

UNION UNIVERSITY
The Bulldogs enter the weekend 16-7 on the season and 10-5 in the league. Just like CBU, Union only faced Delta State last weekend and won the Saturday evening contest 74-67 at home. It was truly a group effort as Tyree Boykin, Terrandus Smith and Payton Stovall all scored 14 points and LiDonta Hicks-Gentry all scored 13 points. UU will face Montevallo Thursday night before making the trip to Livingston and is currently 7-3 on the road.

COACHES
Allen Sharpe is 101-69 (.594) in his sixth season at West Alabama, 377-166 (.694) in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach. John T. Reilly is 11-12 (.478) in his first season at Christian Brothers, 485-319 (.603) in his 27th season as a head coach. David Niven is 192-136 (.585) in his 11th season as a head coach all at Union University.

CBU STAT LEADERS
Scoring: Brad Miller, 12.4
              Daryl Lewis, 12.2
Rebounding: Nick Diefel, 7.8
Assists: Brad Miller, 4.1
FG% (Min. 5 FGA pg): Joshua Jackson .540 (61-113)
3FG% (Min 2 FGA pg): Daryl Lewis, .441 (26-59)
FT% (Min. 2 FTA pg): Brad Miller, .922 (47-51)

UU STAT LEADERS
Scoring: Tyree Boykin, 20.0
Rebounding: Tylandrius Parks, 6.5
          LiDonta Hicks-Gentry, 6.2
Assists: Payton Stovall, 3.6
FG% (Min. 5 FGA pg): Tylandrius Parks, .482 (80-166)
3FG% (Min 2 FGA pg): Cooper Meadows, .424 (42-99)
FT% (Min. 5 FTA pg): Tyree Boykin, .841 (69-82)

UWA STAT LEADERS
Scoring: LaJuan Hardy, 14.6
              Darron Johnson, 13.7
              Ricky Dunnaway, 12.6
Rebounding: Mike Davis, 7.3
Assists: LaJuan Hardy, 5.5
FG% (Min. 5 FGA pg): Mike Davis, .561 (74-132)
3FG% (Min 2 FGA pg): LaJuan Hardy, .411 (53-129)
FT% (Min. 5 FTA pg): LaJuan Hardy, .743 (52-70)

TIGER GSC HONORS THIS SEASON
LaJuan Hardy, GSC Co-Player of the Week, Dec. 3

RUN IT BACK
Continuing the re-tread portion of the schedule, The Tigers will host Christian Brothers on Feb. 13 and Union on Feb. 15 which will be the second meeting of the year against both institutions. UWA defeated CBU on the road on Jan. 9, 69-51. West Alabama got up by as much as 25 points as Four UWA players finished in double figures led by 13 points from Rene Scott who added a steal and an assist. Mike Davis went for 12 points and nine rebounds; LaJuan Hardy turned in 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals and Justin Allison scored 10 points with a pair of rebounds and a steal.

Two days later, UWA defeated Union 73-68. This time the Tigers built a 21-point lead and had to hold off the Bulldogs come back. Darron Johnson led all scorers with 25 points and added two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Hardy scored 14 and just missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds along with three assists and an early tone setting block. Deandre Harper put up 11 points and five rebounds while Davis got the double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds along with two blocks and the game clinching steal.
DEFENSIVE LEAD A LITTLE TIGHTER
The UWA defense has long been the leader in scoring defense in NCAA Division II all season, however the gap between the Tigers and second place Miles College is as thin as it's been all season. West Alabama is allowing 57.8 per game to opponents and the Golden Bears are just right behind them at 58.0 points allowed a game. The two Alabama based institutions are the only programs allowing less than 60 points a game.

STILL A WAYS TO GO
With five games left in the regular season, nothing has been clinched for the team as far as postseason is concerned. With help, the Tigers still have a chance at the GSC Regular Season Championship. Conversely, UWA could still miss the GSC Championship Tournament with losses down the stretch. The stretch run does setup favorably for West Alabama with three of the final five at home.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Ricky Dunnaway: F; 6' 8"; Senior

#1 LaJuan Hardy: G; 5' 11"; Senior

#15 Deandre Harper: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#11 Darron Johnson: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#0 Mike Davis: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#3 Justin Allison: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#4 Rene Scott: G; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#23 Ricky Dunnaway
: 6' 8"; Senior
: F

#1 LaJuan Hardy
: 5' 11"; Senior
: G

#15 Deandre Harper
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#11 Darron Johnson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#0 Mike Davis
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#3 Justin Allison
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#4 Rene Scott
: 5' 9"; Senior
: G