LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team returns home for the first time in 19 days with matchups against Trevecca Nazarene set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Lee on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
West Alabama (10-9, 6-7 GSC) enters the week after a nine-point road win over West Florida on Monday while Trevecca Nazarene (14-5, 9-4 GSC) swept their slate this past weekend with victories coming over Montevallo and AUM. As for Lee (8-9, 4-9 GSC), they enter after an eight-point loss to Montevallo on Saturday.
The Tigers return to Pruitt Hall after putting together their most complete performance in the past couple of weeks in their win over the Argonauts on Monday. UWA's defense returned to prime form while Marcellious Lockett and Thaddeus Williams continued to be consistent on both ends of the floor. Lockett's game grows by the week as the guard ranks third in the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 42.1 percent from deep but is now a real threat off the dribble. With his ability to slash at a high level, coupled with his shooting ability, the Guard is now up to 11.3 points per game after a career-high 23-point performance against West Florida on Monday.
After holding UWF to 59 points, West Alabama is now allowing 69.4 points per game which ranks second in the GSC. Defense will be a key factor for the Tigers, specifically on Thursday against Trevecca Nazarene as the Trojans brings one of the best offensive units in the conference to Livingston.
The Trojans' average 85.4 points per game and possess arguably the best offensive player in the league in Jalen Page. Page, a 6'4" combo guard, is a handful to prepare for with his ability to score at all three levels, efficiently. Before the season began, Page was named to the Preseason All-GSC team and through 18 games ranks second in the conference with 22.5 points per game on 46 | 41 | 87 percent shooting splits. In the first matchup between the Tigers and the Trojans, the senior recorded a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double, but on Thursday night, a combination of Charles Fofanah and Lockett will look to slow down Trevecca's surging guard.
Alongside the Trojans's star Guard is 6'4" Guard Jikari Johnson. Similar to Page, Johnson is an efficient scorer who can take over a game at any given moment. Next to Page's 22.5 points per game, Johnson is averaging 19.3 points on 47 | 43 | 76 percent shooting splits, making the Trojans' back court duo the highest scoring duo in the GSC.
West Alabama's matchup against Lee on Saturday is expected to be a slow scoring defensive battle. The Lee Flames are currently leading the league in scoring defense, allowing 68.9 points per game while the Tigers have a reputation of being stout on the defensive end of the floor.
In the preseason, Lee was expected to be one of the top teams in the GSC with additions such as Giancarlo Valdez and Marlon Smith, but that wasn't the case in the early portions of the season. The Flames began their 2024-25 campaign 0-7 in conference play but now have seemed to have found their footing. Lee is 4-2 in their last six games, holding their opponents to 63.7 points per game in their four victories. Valdez and Smith are the Flames leading scorers but both have missed games and haven't been available in the last couple of weeks. In the midst of their absences, Lee has played their best basketball of the season with Noah Boler-Kyle, Tariq Daughton, and Zach Gray carrying the mantle for the Flames.
Tip-off for Thursday's matchup against Trevecca Nazarene is set for 7:00 p.m. while Saturday's contest against Lee is slated for 4:00 p.m.
