PENSACOLA, Fla. – The University of West Florida used a 54-point first half to secure a victory over Auburn Montgomery on Monday evening, as the Warhawks outscored the Argonauts in the second half but could not overcome the early deficit to fall 88-78 at the UWF Fieldhouse in Gulf South Conference men's basketball action.  
 
NOTES
• AUM falls to 6-13 on the season and 2-9 in league play.
• UWF improves to 8-12 overall and 4-8 in the GSC.
• The Warhawks are now 5-7 lifetime against the Argonauts, and 1-4 since joining the NCAA Division II ranks.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Junior guard Darrion Taylor scored a team-best 19 points, connecting on five treys on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor.
• Senior guard Kenneth Keith tallied 17 points to go along with a season-high five assists for the Warhawks.
• Junior guard Carlos Bell finished one rebound away from his fifth double-double of the season, closing out the contest with 14 points and nine boards.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• UWF ran out to a 10-2 lead over the first three minutes of the contest before the Warhawks responded with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to 12-11 on a Keith 3-pointer at the 14:28 mark. The Argos outscored AUM 22-9 over the next seven minutes to take a 34-20 advantage with 7:30 left in the first.
• The Warhawks would try to close the gap the rest of the way, but the Argos held AUM at arm's length over the final seven minutes of the frame to take a 54-38 lead into the break.
• The second half saw the Warhawks come out on a mission, starting the frame on a 17-4 run to cut the UWF advantage to 58-55 on a Keith layup at the 14:11 mark. The Argonauts tried to pull away again but AUM cut the lead to three once again at 62-59 on a Devorious Brown jumper in the paint with 12:42 to go.
• Over the next three minutes UWF was able to push its lead to 71-61 with 10:16 to play, only to see Bell hit a big trey to cut the deficit to seven with 9:54 left on the clock. Down 80-74 with 3:12 left to play, Bell hit a contested layup to pull the Warhawks to within four heading down the home stretch.
• However, UWF would outscore the Orange & Black 8-4 over the final three minutes to secure the home victory.
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
• UWF won the rebounding battle, 30-25.
• The Argos outscored AUM 38-30 in the paint.
• The Warhawks connected on 12 3-pointers will UWF hit 11.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will host Delta State University on Thursday in a GSC contest set to begin at 8 p.m. at the AUM Gymnasium. The game is part of a doubleheader with the two women's programs which will play at 6 p.m.
 
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