MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello Men’s Basketball returned to GAC play at home on Saturday, Jan 6th when they hosted Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The Weevils came out with a 56-54 victory over the Bulldogs.
By Ryan Tow
UAM Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
Zane Nelson led the way for Arkansas-Monticello (4-7, 2-4 GAC) with 23 points, going 6-18 on total field goals, 2-9 from beyond the three point line, and 9-12 from the line. He also contributed four defensive rebounds on top of four steals and three assists in his 40 minutes played.
Wesley Booker posted a double-double performance on the night, scoring 10 points of his own and grabbing two offensive and 11 defensive rebounds on the evening for 13 total. Booker was 4-7 on field goals and 2-3 on threes with an assist.
Southwestern Oklahoma was led by Ben Smith with 21 points.
The first half of the game proved to be dominated by the home team throughout its entirety. Although the Bulldogs were the first on the board, after a back-and-forth that saw the score tie four times, a jumper from Wesley Booker pushed UAM ahead of SWOSU for the remainder of the opening 20 minutes. The Boll Weevils would see a game-high advantage of 25-10 over the Bulldogs. Arkansas-Monticello shot for 42% on field goals in the half, compared to Southwestern Oklahoma’s 27%. The teams would head to the locker rooms with UAM on top, 25-12.
The second 20 minutes saw another aggressive display of basketball between the two teams, with 73 points scored between them. UAM held on to the lead for majority of the half, seeing SWOSU climb their way back to a 52-52 game with 2:17 left on the clock. After two free throws from Zane Nelson and a last second buzzer beater for Isaac Jackson, the Boll Weevils came out of the match-up with a 56-54 victory over the Bulldogs.
Arkansas-Monticello committed 11 turnovers in the entirety of the match.
UP NEXT
The Weevils return to action on Thursday, Jan. 11 as they travel to Ada, Oklahoma to take on out of state conference member East Central University. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m.
How to follow the Weevils: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Men’s Basketball, visit www.uamsports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.