HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTOS
HUNTSVILLE | The No. 22 University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team held off a talented West Alabama squad Thursday night, earning a 63-57 Gulf South Conference victory at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. The Chargers improve to 8-1 (3-0 GSC) with the triumph, while UWA slips to 5-5 (1-2 GSC).
 
Preston Herring and Justin Ward scored in double figures for the Chargers, scoring 14 and 10, respectively, to lead a group of nine UAH players who registered at least three points in the contest, and Greg Gardner was strong at the point, dishing out 11 assists to go with seven points while only turning the ball over twice.
 
West Alabama was led by Leon Tillman who nearly had a double-double as he scored 15 and collected a game-high nine rebounds.
 
The visitors took control of the contest early, jumping out to a 23-15 lead by the 11:31 mark of the opening half, but the Chargers would respond an 18-6 run that was punctuated by back-to-back 3-pointers from Spencer Palmer and Ward, providing the home team with a 33-29 advantage at the halftime break.
 
UAH proceeded to lead the entirety of the second half, but West Alabama kept the game within single digits and closed the gap to just one at 56-55 with 2:14 left in the game. The Chargers answered, however, with a Gardner layup and – after a UWA turnover – a Herring bucket to go back in front by five, and Seab Webster then scored three of his nine points with free throws down the stretch to keep UAH ahead.
 
The contest was a defensive struggle as UAH shot 37.5 percent while limiting UWA to a 36.7 percent night from the floor, with a key difference in the game being the four made 3s for the Tigers compared to seven for the hosts.
 
UWA led the battle on the glass by a 36-27 clip.
 
The Chargers will now hit the road for the first time in GSC action, heading to West Georgia on Sunday for a 3 p.m. CST contest. UWG is a perfect 7-0 (2-0 GSC) on the season.