LIVINGSTON, Ala. – After dropping a road game at Lee earlier this month, West Alabama returned the favor on its home court, extinguishing the Flames, 64-58.
The Tigers returned to form in Pruitt Hall, led by three-time Gulf South Conference Player of the Week Kortrijk Miles. The Dallas, Texas native scored 23 points and seven rebounds to carry UWA past the Flames.
Shardarrion Allen and Justin Allison had 12 points each, and Allison tied Miles with seven boards to lead the team in its rebounding effort.
As a unit, the Tigers hit 40.0% from the field (24-of-60) and 92.3% at the line (12-of-13). UWA showed why they are ranked No. 1 in the nation in defense, collecting a season-high nine blocks while holding Lee to shooting just 33.3% (21-of-63) and 17.6% (3-of-17) in three-point range.
Te Smith led the blocking effort with a career-high of four and Allison added a career-high with three.
West Alabama came out of the game strong with a 9-0 run to start the competition. After a month's absence, Miles made his starting lineup return to score 7 of the 9 points.
After a time out, Lee regrouped to score their first points. Jayce Willingham made a layup and was fouled on his way down. He sank the point after to cut the Tigers lead to 9-3 with 16:55 remaining in the first half.
West Alabama remained on the gas, going on a 7-0 run over 2:52. In the run, Robert Davis hit the first three-pointer of the game, and Miles also hit one past the arc.
With the Tigers ahead, 16-3, Lee finds a rhythm to grab 11 points over five minutes while holding UWA to just two.
Despite the brief surge, Lee did not battle back before the clock ran out on the first half of the game. West Alabama entered the break with a 28-24 advantage over the Flames.
The Tigers continued to stay ahead of the Flames in the second half. Allison had a scoring run of his own, putting up eight consecutive points for UWA for a score of 43-30 with 12:59 left in the game.
The Flames had a short burst of scoring to get within 2 of the Tigers lead at 60-58 with 30 seconds remaining.
Lee could not overcome the West Alabama defense despite the effort, falling 64-58 in the GSC matchup.
The West Alabama men's basketball team will return to action to Pensacola, Fla., to face conference rival West Florida on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the UWF Field House.
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.
