Carrollton, GA - The West Georgia Wolves had a three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday afternoon in Livingston, Ala. The Wolves found Pruitt Hall on the West Alabama campus a tough place to play, as West Alabama hit a game-winning three-pointer with 10 seconds left to hand West Georgia a 73-71 loss in Gulf South Conference play.
How it Happened: The first six minutes of the contest were a back-and-forth defensive battle, as neither team could gain more than a one-possession lead in that span, and with 14:00 left in the first half, the Wolves and Tigers were locked in a 10-10 struggle. Over the next four minutes, the Wolves' three-point shooting came to life, as UWG went on a 13-2 run that put them ahead 23-12 with 10 minutes left in the period.
Zach Taulien had two three-pointers in the run and
Alex Abreu another to lead the Wolves in scoring on the run.
The Tigers, defending their home turf as any homestanding team would do, pulled to within two points once and three points another time in the final 10 minutes of the contest. West Alabama's Khalil Brown hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds in the half to pull the Tigers to within three at 30-27, but
Deontre Brown hit a jumper at the buzzer to give the Wolves a 32-27 lead heading into the break.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued throughout the second half, as the lead changed hands three times, including on a Kenric McCants three-pointer with 4:26 left in the game that put West Alabama up 66-65. That lead became a 70-65 advantage with just over a minute remaining when a flurry of activity closed out the contest.
First, Abreu sank a three-pointer from the wing with just under a minute left, then on the next UWA possession,
Taylor Cochran came up with a steal and a lay-in and was fouled, giving him a free-throw with the score tied at 70-70. The senior buried the free-throw, putting the Wolves back in the lead. West Alabama hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds left and Abreu flew down the floor looking for an open shot. He was fouled, and on the subsequent out-of-bounds play,
Emory Bernard's turnaround jumper was no good.
Abreu and Brown were the only players in double-figures for the Wolves on the afternoon, with Abreu hitting for 23 points while Brown had 10.
What it Means:The Wolves will drop into a minimum of a tie for second place after the loss, as Alabama Huntsville and Delta State both won this afternoon. The Wolves finish the first half of the Gulf South Conference season with a 12-4 overall record and a 7-4 spot in GSC play. West Alabama is one team that is now tied with the Wolves with a 12-7 record overall and a 7-4 record in conference.
Odds and Ends: For the second straight game, the Wolves went against a trend, as West Alabama scored first in the contest ... the Wolves are 7-0 when scoring first and holding a lead at the 15:00 mark ... It was the second-lowest scoring output of the season for the Wolves, who were missing leading scorer Deonta Stocks ... the lowest was 62 points in a loss to Alabama Huntsville earlier this season.
Up Next: The Wolves return home for the second half of the Gulf South Conference schedule next weekend, hosting Mississippi College on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., then taking on Delta State on Saturday at 4 p.m.
