ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The West Alabama men's basketball team returned to the MacArthur Arena for day two of the GSC/SSC Classic. After defeating Florida Southern 74-69 in the opening matchup, the Tigers were itching to complete the weekend sweep against the host Eckerd College.
Despite staying ahead of the Tritons for most of the competition, UWA could not complete the mission, falling 69-67 in overtime. The Tigers move to 1-1 on the season as they prepare to open home play.
"Credit to Eckerd and their team for making the big plays to win the game," said Tiger head coach Nick Woodruff. "The difference in a win and a loss is very marginal and in the details. We did not do a good enough job of paying attention to the details tonight. Every possession is critical and we need to be smart enough to close out ball games late."
Kortrijk Miles put up 26 points for the second time in a row to lead the West Alabama offense. The junior from Dallas went 7-for-15 from the floor and 12-for-18 at the line with five rebounds.
Justin Allison led the team in rebounds, pulling down six boards while adding seven points and three assists in the effort.
Robert Davis, Jakobi Pearson, and Shardarrion Allen had seven points each, Te Smith added five, and Calvin Finch and CJ Melton had four to round out the scoring for West Alabama.
As a team, the Tigers hit 19 of 56 (33.9 %) from the floor, including 4 of 21 (19.0%) from the floor. At the line, UWA hit 25 of 34 (73.5%) to add to the offense.
Eckerd saw 22 of its 48 (45.8%) shots go in from the floor, including 7-of 12 (58.3%) in three-point range. At the line, the Tritons missed four of 22 attempts.
West Alabama won the tip-off, and Calvin Finch made quick work to the basket to score the game's first two points.
After a Tiger foul, the Tritons answered with three free throws to pull ahead 3-2. The lead was short-lived as West Alabama went on an 18-8 run, started by two free throws by Kortrijk Miles and highlighted with a three-point jumper from Shardarron Archie. UWA led the Tritons 20-11, with 10:53 remaining in the half.
The Tritons shooters landed shots all over the court to chip away at the Tiger lead. With 2:44 remaining in the half, Eckerd hit a 3-point jumper to trail 30-29. A second shot beyond the arc gave the Tritons a 33-29 advantage, and a 2-pointer of the Tigers by Miles at the buzzer would end the half with UWA trailing, 33-31.
Returning from the half, Eckerd stayed hot, grabbing the first two points on free throws.
However, the Tigers would bounce back, outscoring the Tritons 19-15 to knot the game at 50 with 4:55 remaining in regulation.
The closing minutes of the second half became the battle of the free throws, as all of the remaining points in the period were scored at the line. The Tigers hit eight, and Eckerd struck eight to force the competition into overtime.
West Alabama put up a fantastic effort in the extra period, matching the Tritons for every shot.
With 12 seconds left in the game, Pearson hit a 3-point jumper to tie the game at 67, but too much time remained on the clock, and a last-second layup gave the win to Eckerd, 69-67.
West Alabama will bring the game to Livingston on Tuesday, Nov. 16, for its first home competition of the 2021-22 season. The Tigers will host Oakwood at 7:00 p.m. inside Pruitt Hall Gymnasium.
To stay connected with the UWA Men's basketball team, follow @UWA_basketball on Twitter. General athletic news, along with game recaps and box scores, can be found at uwaathletics.com. Additional updates and information are available @UWAAthletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
