West Florida Cools Off in Second Half, Falls to No. 13 Montevallo

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – After going into halftime down by one point, the West Florida men’s basketball team cooled off in the second half and fell to No. 13 Montevallo 67-50 on the second day of the UM Coca-Cola Classic on Saturday.  UWF shot just 28 percent from the floor in the second half, as the Falcons pulled away for the win and stayed undefeated at 4-0.  With the loss, the Argos dropped their third in a row and fell to 1-5 overall.

Sophomore forward Terrance Beasley (Pensacola, Fla./Tulane) led UWF with 11 points, but he played just 16 minutes and fouled out for the second time this season.  Junior swingman Anthony Sims (Mobile, Ala./Faulkner State CC) scored eight points and added seven rebounds, while junior guard Jamel Brazeal (Mobile, Ala./Faulkner State CC) added seven points and seven rebounds.

Montevallo was led by DeMarcus Catchings’ 14 points off the bench, and he also tallied three steals.  Cecil Coleman scored 13 points with eight rebounds, and Tyrell Coleman added 12 points, five rebounds and three steals.

The Argonauts matched the No. 13 ranked-Falcons point-for-point early on, tying the score multiple times and staying within five points through the first 13 minutes.  Tyrell Coleman hit back-to-back three-pointers to start a 10-2 run for the Falcons late in the second half, putting Montevallo up 29-18.

UWF battled back, and a three-pointer by junior Jamar Moore (Coolidge, Ga./Faulkner State CC) kicked off a 9-1 run for West Florida to finish the first half.  Five straight points by Brazeal in the last minute and a half, including a three-point play, highlighted the run, and the Argos went into halftime down 33-32.

The Argos stayed close early in the second half, and a three by junior Mike Lewis (Upper Marlboro, Md./Eastern Kentucky) tied the score at 37 with 17:08 on the clock.  The Falcons started pulling away at that point, as a Cecil Coleman layup started a 15-2 run for Montevallo, opening up the score to 52-39 with 13:18 left in the game.  The cold shooting continued through the rest of the game, as the Argos made just seven second half field goals.

Not only did UWF go cold from the field in the second half, but the Falcons hit the boards in the second half and outrebounded the Argos 25-13.  West Florida held a 24-18 rebound advantage in the first half.  The Falcons finished ahead in the rebound category 43-37.

The Argos will have one day off before heading to Columbus, Ga. for a non-conference battle at Columbus State on Monday, Nov. 29.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and fans can listen to all the action live at www.GoArgos.com.