WEEVILS CLAIM SHARE OF GAC EAST TITLE AND ONE SEED IN THE GAC TOURNAMENT
MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello men’s basketball team claimed a share of the Great American Conference Eastern Division title and secured a one seed in the conference tournament with a 72-59 win over Henderson State Saturday. The Weevils put together a strong shooting performance in the second half to pull away for the double-digit victory at Steelman Field House.
The contest went back-and-forth through most of the opening half. UAM and HSU exchanged the lead six different times during the half until the Weevils made a push to hold the lead for good. In the final four minutes of the first half, UAM closed on a 13-4 run to take a 33-23 lead into the locker room. Denzel McDuffey and DaJuan Jones combined for 11 of the 13 points during the run.
The Weevils turned up the heat on offense when they returned to the floor after the half. UAM knocked down an impressive 57.7 percent from the field in the second half including going 6-of-8 from downtown.
The Reddies were never able to cut the UAM below seven points throughout the second half. The Weevils managed to balloon the lead to its largest of the contest at 67-50 with under three minutes to play.
HSU tried to make one last run cutting UAM’s lead down to 10, but McDuffey stifled any comeback chances with a dagger three-point bucket with 1:17 remaining. The Weevils ultimately closed out the victory 72-59.
The win secured the Weevils a number one seed in next week’s GAC Tournament and gave UAM a share of the Eastern Division title in the conference.
Three Weevils finished in double-digits as McDuffey led the way with a season-best 20 points. He also pulled down 10 rebounds in the contest to notch his fourth double-double of the season.
Miles Daniels and Jones followed in the scoring column with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Daniels also tallied four steals.
UP NEXT
UAM will host the winner of Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the GAC Tournament Wednesday, March 3. Tip off will be at 7:30 p.m. at Steelman Field House.
