Carrollton, GA- The Gulf South Conference brings a tough matchup night in and night out, but especially on the road. After one of the biggest road victories in recent memory on Thursday night, West Georgia Wolves stayed on top of the GSC standings on Saturday night on the road in Florence, Ala., taking down the North Alabama Lions by a 93-84 count in Flowers Hall.
What it Means: Shorter and West Georgia both won again on Saturday evening, and Alabama Huntsville beat West Alabama on the road. If the Wolves can keep winning, then the top seed at the GSC tournament in early March is within their grasp. If both teams continue to win, there is a big showdown upcoming in Carrollton on February 12, when the Hawks come to The Coliseum. West Georgia also received two votes this week in the NABC poll, and with two victories this weekend, could find themselves in the top-25 at the beginning of the week.
How it Happened: The Wolves were at a loss to begin the game with junior guard
Marcus Dortch still unable to play due to a hand injury.
Taylor Cochran stepped in for Dortch on the starting line with a three-pointer to give the Wolves a strong start. UNA, however, challenged the Wolves early as they took the lead with six-of-eight field goals just five minutes into the game.
The Wolves were forced to play catch-up against the Lions with a 15-9 deficit, but UWG quickly gained momentum, keeping the game close for the next 10 minutes, and West Georgia retook the lead for a short time with 6:29 left in the opening period. The see-saw battle continued, and with just seconds remaining in the first half, UNA's Nathan Spehr hit a pair of free-throws to tie the game at 50-50, the seventh tie of the game. Sophomore Deonta Stocks led the Wolves with 15 points in the first half and West Georgia shot 55.9 percent from the field.
The Wolves started the second half strong, scoring the first four points of the period, but UNA fired back with a three-pointer to close the gap. West Georgia, on the back of four more points from Stocks, went on a 9-0 run to take a nine-point lead going into the first media timeout of the second half.
The Wolves continued to dominate, gaining a twelve-point lead half way into the second half. However, the Wolves were halted by a four-minute scoring drought while the Lions closed the gap and then took a one-point lead with eight minutes to play. The Wolves tightened their defensive game and again the Wolves broke away into a six-point lead with five minutes to play. The Lions continued their fight, but in the end they fell to the Wolves for the second time in the season.
This win maintains the Wolves' first place position in the Gulf South Conference with a 11-4 record in conference play and 16-4 overall. The Lions fall to 6-9 in the conference and 9-12 overall.
Deonta Stocks led all scorers with 37 points, followed by Abreu, who contributed 17 points, and led the Wolves with five assists. Jovany Austin had seven rebounds to lead the Wolves on the boards. For Stocks, the 37 points were a career-high and the most by any individual player at West Georgia since Michael Ford scored 40 against Montevallo on February 4, 2006.
Up Next: The Wolves return home to The Coliseum to take on the Union Bulldogs in more Gulf South Conference action. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
