ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The West Alabama men's basketball team has opened its season with the GSC/SSC Classic for seven of the last eight seasons. Each year the two-game event brings its challenges, and this season opener was no different.
Kortrijk Miles kept his foot on the gas to help the Tigers edge out No. 23 Florida Southern 74-69 inside the MacArthur Center.
"Anytime you can get a win against a program like Florida Southern, it is a great win," said Head Coach Nick Woodruff. "Coming down and playing in the SSC/GSC challenge is a great test because they really play good basketball in Florida."
Miles led UWA with 26 points and four rebounds, going 7 of 15 from the floor, including 1 of 2 beyond the arc. The Dallas native also had an 11 for 14 showing at the line.
"We are counting on Kortrjik to carry a big load this season, and he can do it," explained Woodruff when asked about the junior guard. "He has to be very critical of his game and be his own worst critic going forward so that he stays on the edge."
Shardarrion Allen and Jakobi Pearson added 11 points to the West Alabama offense. While Robert Davis led the team in rebounds, bringing down eight boards.
UWA hit 25 of 50 (50.0%) from the floor in the game, including 3 of 10 (30.0) from the 3-point range. The Tigers got 36 points in the paint and 14 points off of the Mocs turnovers.
"I am extremely proud of this group because we had a tough week after a loss in a scrimmage," Woodruff continued. "We had some really hard conversations, and our guys responded today."
Florida Southern struck first with Xavier Rhodes landing a 2-point jumper over a minute after tipoff. However, the Tigers did not allow the Moccasins to stay ahead long, with Jakobi Pearson pulling his team forward with a two-point field goal and two free throws. Robert Davis added another four for the Tigers to give UWA an 8-2 advantage.
Florida Southern went on an 8-1 run to regain the lead. The two teams remained with four until Boubacar Kamissoko made a second-chance jumper, Kortrijk Miles hit a three, and Te Smith lent two to give the Tigers a 26-20 lead with 6:06 remaining in the first half.
West Alabama and Florida Southern began to rain three-pointers with five consecutive shots beyond the arc. After a free throw by Miles, the game was knotted at 32 with less than a minute on the lock.
With 22 seconds left, Jack Casale sank a three to pull FSC ahead 35-32, but just before the buzzer, Miles added a layup for UWA. The Tigers trailed the Moccasins 35-34 going into the half.
Coming back from the break, Florida Southern added four to its lead. Miles started the scoring effort for the Tigers in the second half, hitting a jumper to create a short scoring run to allow UWA to pull ahead. Pearson grabbed a steal into a fast break to add two, and Miles made another jumper to give the Tigers a 40-39 edge with 17:31 left in the game.
The advantage did not last long. The two opponents fought to stay ahead, and West Alabama won the battle going on an 8-0 run to grab a 49-44 lead with 11:35 remaining.
With just over nine minutes to go, Florida Southern would tie the game at 51.
The teams kept the exchange going with a close game until the final seconds. Pearson hit a three at 66-65 with FSC ahead to give UWA a 68-66 advantage with 1:34 left.
A free throw with less than 30 seconds on the clock put the Mocs within one.
The Tigers did not let up, and back-to-back free throws by Davis and two more by Justin Allison would win the season-opening war.
After some hail mary fouls by Florida Southern, West Alabama wins it 74-69.
"We have a quick turnaround to get ready for Eckerd tomorrow," said Coach Woodruff of the Tigers next competitor. "It will be a completely different game, and they are extremely physical where FSC is guard orientated and perimeter-based. This will be a totally different test, and we will have to be ready. We will dig into the film and the stats tonight, but we have our hands full tomorrow with Eckerd."
West Alabama will face Eckerd College on day two of the classic, Saturday, Nov. 13. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT/ 3 p.m. ET inside the MacArthur Arena.
