LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The University of West Alabama Men's Basketball team continued its strong start to the 2026-27 season with a dominant 72-41 victory over Central State (Ohio) (1-1) on Saturday afternoon to conclude the GSC-SIAC Crossover.
West Alabama (2-0) controlled the game from the opening minutes against Central State (1-1), building a 41-15 halftime advantage behind a pair of double-digit scoring runs. The Tigers also dominated the glass, finishing with a 42-28 rebounding advantage while holding CSU to 35.6 percent shooting and 23.5 percent from three.
"We held them to 15 at the half and I was really pleased," said head coach Nick Woodruff. "I knew that Central State would be a hard to team score on because of their size, but we played unselfish offensively with a lot of guys turning down shots for an even better shot."
West Alabama opened the contest with an early 11-4 advantage, fueled by a pair of three-pointers from Caleb Parr. The Tigers continued to build momentum with an 11-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Adrian Cruz and Jonathan Goldson and a three-point play from Michael Nwoye to extend the lead to 22-4.
After Central State briefly cut into the deficit, West Alabama responded with another 10-0 run. BJ Brown Jr. and Tyler Byrd helped lead the charge, with Byrd adding a fast-break layup to push the Tigers' advantage to 36-13. UWA closed the half with a three-pointer from Byrd and two free throws from Parr to take a commanding 41-15 lead into the break.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the second half as Nwoye opened the scoring with a tip-in before Byrd added a layup. West Alabama continued to find success in the paint and on the offensive glass, extending its advantage to 55-24 following a dunk from Nwoye off an assist from Jakobe Singleton.
Cruz provided another spark with a putback, a steal and an assist on a Parr layup before knocking down another three-pointer. Byrd later added a fast-break layup off an assist from Avaughn Johnson to give West Alabama a 66-33 advantage with just over seven minutes remaining.
The Tigers maintained control down the stretch, getting late contributions from Amillion Buggs, Tristan Watson and Arthur Williams at the free-throw line to secure the 72-41 victory.
"I'm really proud of the guys and how they competed across the weekend," Woodruff continued. "Up to this point, there was a bit of uncertainty. The belief in the system and the belief in each other should go up after this weekend."
Byrd led all scorers with 13 points along with three steals while Parr added 12 points. Brown Jr. filled up the stat sheet with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds,and two steals.
UWA will remain home next week as they welcome Selma for a 6:00 p.m. contest on Wednesday at Pruitt Hall.
