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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Returning home for a two-game stand at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall, the No. 6 UAH men's basketball team is set to host West Alabama for a 7:30 p.m. contest Thursday night. The Chargers enter the game with a 15-3 (6-1 Gulf South Conference) mark, while UWA sits at 6-14 (3-4 GSC).
The Chargers are riding a season-best six-game winning streak and have used that to climb in the rankings all the way to the No. 6 position - the team's highest spot since starting out the season ranked second in the country.
UAH continues to have three of the country's top offensive players as
Josh Magette ranks first in assists per game while
Jaime Smith and
Zane Campbell both rank sixth in 3-point field goal percentage and field goal percentage, respectively. As a team, UAH owns the fourth-best field goal percentage in the nation at 52.4 percent.
Not flustered by a crowd of nearly 2,300 at North Alabama, the Chargers held on for a gutsy 84-77 victory against their rivals last Saturday. Smith hit five of the team's 11 treys en route to pacing the squad with 23 points, while
Xavier Baldwin was vital down the stretch as he went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to help preserve the victory. Baldwin joined Smith, Campbell and
Ronnie Mack as all four scored in double figures in the contest.
Smith's performance earned him GSC Player of the Week accolades.
Since conference play began, West Alabama has alternated wins and losses as it most recently fell 65-47 to West Georgia in Livingston. A game under .500 in GSC play, the Tigers have only one road win in GSC play - a 74-58 triumph at last-place Delta State. Steven Samuels - who played his first game of the season against UAH - leads the team with 16.3 points per game.
In the game between the two teams in Livingston on Jan. 6, Samuels scored a game-high 22 points, while Campbell led the Blue and White with 17 points and eight rebounds.
In the all-time series with UWA, the Chargers hold a 41-19 advantage, and the Chargers have not lost a game at Spragins Hall against tonight's visitors since the 2001-02 season.
Live stats and video for the contest will be available at uahchargers.com, and the contest will also be carried on 97.7 The Zone and at 977thezone.com.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Chargers on Facebook (facebook.com/uahchargers) and on Twitter (@uahchargers), and supporters of the Blue and White may sign up for text and e-mail updates at uahchargers.com.
