MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team will hit the road for the final time this season, taking on Gulf South Conference foe North Alabama on Wednesday evening on the campus of the Lions. Opening tip is set for 8 p.m., as the Warhawks will look to sweep the season series with UNA.
 
Game Information: North Alabama
Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Florence, Ala. | Flowers Hall
Media Coverage: Live Stats | Live Video
 
About the Warhawks
The Warhawks are 9-16 on the season with a 5-12 mark in Gulf South Conference play. AUM is coming off of a 94-92 setback to #9 Valdosta State on Saturday afternoon, a contest that saw the Warhawks take 92-91 advantage into the final :30 seconds only to have the Blazers pull out a come from behind victory.
 
Senior center Jarett Croff tallied his third double-double of the season, scoring a team-high 21 points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. Five other Warhawks scored in double figures in the contest, with guards Michael Bryant and Darrion Taylor scoring 15 and 11, respectively, coming off the bench for AUM.
 
Junior guard Desmond DeRamus became the first Warhawk to hit the 1,000-point plateau since Nathan Thomas (1,090) did it in 2010. The Jefferson Davis High School alum recorded his 1,000^th point against Mississippi College last Thursday in the first half, stealing a pass and using a fastbreak layup to set the mark. He now stands at 1,059 points for his career, which puts him in 15^th place all time in points scored surpassing Lonnie Nickson (1,057) who played for AUM from 1979-83.
 
DeRamus leads the team in scoring and scoring average, having tallied 371 points this season (15.5 points per game). He also leads the team in assists with 100 and steals with 53. Senior guard Reagan Eubanks is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 ppg.
 
This will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, with AUM earning a 96-89 on Jan. 15 at the AUM Gymnasium. DeRamus scored a game-high 20 points in the contest, with Croff and Taylor adding 18 points apiece. Croff also had a double-double in the contest, pulling down a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
 AUM is 4-4 lifetime against the Lions, with the last meeting between the two schools coming during the 1988-89 season prior to the earlier matchup this season. The two teams also met during AUM's inaugural season of 1975-76.
 
About the Lions
UNA is 13-11 on the season with an 8-9 mark in league play. The Lions are currently tied for seventh with Lee University in the GSC standings, and are looking to secure a spot in the upcoming GSC Championship. Only the top eight teams make the postseason tournament, and Alabama Huntsville, West Georgia and Mississippi College are in striking distance of surpassing UNA for one of the final two spots.
 
The Lions could also conceivably move up to the fourth seed in the tournament if they were to win their final three contests.
 
Five players are averaging double figures in points for the Lions, with Kendall Stafford leading the way at 15.5 ppg. Kendarius Smith is right on his heels posting 15.0 ppg, while Stafford is second on the team in rebound with 203.
 
Sharwyn McGee is close to averaging a double-double for UNA, averaging 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
 
UNA is averaging 83.4 ppg while opponents are averaging 79.2. The Lions are also posting close to eight more rebounds per game than their opponents.
 
Up Next
The Warhawks will host Christian Brothers on Saturday in GSC play at the AUM Gymnasium. AUM defeated CBU on Jan. 2, 77-68, when the Buccaneers were ranked No. 5 in the country. It will be senior day for the Warhawks, who will honor Jarett Croff, Reagan Eubanks, Chandler Ferguson, Kameron Hornbuckle, Marcus Jackson and Lafayette James-Core prior to tipoff at 4 p.m.
 
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