Box Score
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Srdjan Boskovic nailed a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining, and the No. 6 University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team withstood a stiff challenge from West Florida, winning 80-78 on the road to earn its 10th straight victory. The Chargers move to 19-3 (10-1 Gulf South Conference) with the victory, and West Florida drops to 15-10 (5-6 GSC).
With the game tied at 78, Boskovic was fouled away from the ball to send him to the line to shoot 1-and-1, and the senior was true on both attempts despite an attempt by West Florida to ice him as the team called two timeouts prior to the Novi Sad, Serbia, native going to the line.
On UWF's ensuing possession, Boskovic put a hand on Terrance Beasley's shot to preserve the victory for UAH.
The Chargers started the first half strong, opening a 12-4 lead in just over three minutes, but the hosts took over the game's next seven minutes as a 20-3 West Florida run produced a 24-17 score at the 9:21 mark of the period.
Though the Blue and White would pull to within two on a pair of occasions, the team was unable to overcome the deficit, and the Argos held a 43-34 lead at the half thanks to hot shooting that saw the hosts put together an impressive 69.0 field goal percentage in the opening stanza.
The second half started similarly to the first as UAH scored the first six points of the frame and used an 18-9 run to reclaim the lead at 52-51 with 14:18 left in the contest.
With the Argos continue to shoot the ball well, the hosts went back on top and led by as many as five at 62-57with just over 11 minutes remaining, but a 13-4 Charger run put UAH on top by a 70-66 score at 5:43. The Chargers then would not allow West Florida to retake the lead though the Argos did pull into a tie on three occasions in the game's final moments to set the stage for Boskovic's heroics.
Scoring 22 points in the second half,
Jaime Smith hit six treys in the game to finish with a team-best 27 points, while
Zane Campbell was 7-for-11 from the field to total 18 on the night. Boskovic finished with 16 points, and
Josh Magette narrowly missed out on a double-double as he scored 11 and dished out nine assists.
Marquis Mathis led all scorers in the contest with 29 points as his team shot 61.5 percent from the floor for the game. The Chargers shot 57.7 percent including an 11-for-27 showing from beyond the arc, and West Florida won the rebounding battle by a 27-19 margin.
UAH will return home on Thursday as it takes on Delta State at 7:30 p.m.
