Jan. 28, 2008
LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Charles Bouie swatted away any chance that West Alabama had, and nearly ended with a triple double, as the Junior Post player finished the night with 19 points, nine rebounds, and eight blocked shots. Bouie tied the single game high for blocks in Argo history, matching Kelly Powe (Jan.10, 2000), and in the process passed Powe for the single season record, as he now has 72 blocks on the season. Bouie is the conference leader, with nearly 30 more than his closest competitor.
After four loses decided in the final minutes, the Argos put away West Alabama with great defense and timely scoring down the stretch. In a game that was very close throughout, West Florida went on a 17-3 run from the 3:30 mark until just inside a minute left, and then coasted to the 66-54 win. Bouie stuffed the Tigers defensively, while Josh Jackson scored four of his 17 with points in the stretch run, as the Argos got their first conference win.
Head Coach Don Hogan was pleased with the win, "It is nice to get a win after some tough losses. The guys played very hard, and it was a solid team effort. Tonight we did the things we needed to do down the stretch and put the game away. I think we have hung in there nicely through the adversity, and it paid off tonight, and hopefully will carry on. Any win in the conference on the road is a great win, as anybody can beat anybody in the East Division, regardless of record."
With the score 48-47, with 3:30 to play, Bouie stepped up his game and scored on three consecutive possessions, followed with a block or rebound at the other end. Jackson added a couple key shots, and that led to a 17-3 run to put away West Alabama (5-13, 0-5 GSC). Three-point shooting kept West Alabama in the game for the first 36 minutes, but West Florida leads the conference in field goal percentage defense and once again shut down the opponents offense. The Argos held West Alabama to only 35% shooting for the game.
Kenny Holmes did the dirty work for West Florida with 10 rebounds, three steals, and countless hustle plays to help spark West Florida. Ryan Henry and Deondre Boynton both added seven points for the Argos. West Florida will return home this Saturday to host Valdosta State at 2:30 pm in the UWF Fieldhouse. The game is followed by the Women's game at 4:30, and both games will be broadcast on stretch internet.