Carrollton, GA - After a fast start to the 2014-15 campaign, the UWG men's basketball team will play their third contest in four nights on Monday, taking on the Point Skyhawks at The Coliseum in an in-state, non-conference battle. Tipoff for Monday's game is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Wolves had two completely different games over the weekend in the Wentz Financial GSC/SIAC Challenge, as West Georgia trailed for 35 minutes against Claflin on Friday night before pulling out a thrilling 78-73 season opening victory. But on Saturday evening, the Wolves rarely trailed against in-state rival Morehouse and ran away with it in the second half, taking a 101-72 victory to start the year 2-0.

Wolves Guards Step Forward
Just two games in, the 2014-15 backcourt already has UWG fans buzzing about the possibility of a postseason run, as strong guard play generally gears a team up for a deep run in the playoffs. With sophomore phenom Deonta Stocks already looking like he will avoid the "sophomore jinx" by averaging 22.5 points per game thus far and senior transfer point guard Alex Abreu showing strong leadership, thing are looking up for the Wolves in the backcourt.

Icewater in the veins
Abreu is averaging 16 points per game through the first two night, but he was a dagger for the Wolves against Claflin in the opener, burying four free-throws in the final minute of the contest to put the game out of reach. He has the most free-throws of any UWG player thus far, hitting 14-of-16 from the line for a blistering 87.5 percent. He is also averaging six rebounds and five assists per contest and has four steals through two games.

Rebounding is key
With a lineup that, many times against Morehouse and Claflin, had a tallest player of 6-4, the Wolves are playing hustle basketball and rebounding well through the first two contests. In the first half against Claflin, the Panthers outrebounded the Wolves 24-8, but since then, West Georgia has gone on the offensive on the boards. In the last three halves of basketball, the Wolves have outrebounding their opponent 68-49 despite being at a severe size disadvantage during the bulk of the first half against Morehouse with two bigs on the bench in foul trouble.

Leading on the boards
With that advantage in rebounding, the stat sheet shows one "normality" and two interesting looks at rebounding for the Wolves. Senior forward Emory Bernard leads UWG with 6.5 boards per game and is scoring well, averaging nine points per contest. Tied for second in rebounding are 5-10 guard Alex Abreu and 5-8 guard Thomas Higginbotham, who each have six rebounds per game to their credit.

Free-throw shooting turnaround
The Wolves started the season woefully at the charity stripe against Claflin, hitting just 16-of-31 from the free-throw line on opening night, a 52 percent evening. But against Morehouse, West Georgia shot one more free-throw, but made 10 more, hitting 81.3 percent from the line in the runaway victory.

Already in a giving mood
It's still not yet the "holiday season," but the Wolves are already in a giving mood after a 21-assist effort against Morehouse on Saturday. That was another area that turned around greatly, as the Wolves had just nine assists in the contest against Claflin Friday. Higginbotham and Abreu are starting to look like a fantastic 1-2 punch in that area, as Abreu has 10 assists through two games while Higginbotham has seven.

Deonta Stocks continues scoring
As a freshman last year with the Wolves, Deonta Stocks led the Gulf South Conference, averaging 20 points per game. He has picked up right where he left off, scoring 20 points in each of the first two games of the year. He had 20 against Claflin in the opener, then hit for 25 against Morehouse. He is shooting lights out so far, hitting 55 percent of his shots, including a 9-for-13 effot against Morehouse. He is 7-of-10 from the free-throw line and 4-of-7 from three-point range and is averaging 22.5 points per game through the first two contests.