UWA hangs 100 in win to open Downey era

LIVINGSTON — West Alabama men’s basketball ushered in the Mark Downey era as head coach with a 105-75 victory over Stillman College in Pruitt Hall Gymnasium on Wednesday.

It was the first 100-point performance by UWA since Nov. 18, 2010. The Tigers begin its season 1-0 while Stillman falls to 1-2.

“We showed a great team effort tonight,” said Downey.

“We had a lot of guys playing with a lot of energy. We still have a long way to go, but tonight was a good team win. We shot the ball well, but mainly, we took good shots. Stillman is going to go on and win a lot of games in their league, so this will turn out to be a big win for us.”

Sandy Underwood, Desmond Raymond, Aaron Cobb and Cordell Pope each recorded double-digit scoring marks. Underwood led with 29 by shooting 11-for-17 from the field; 3-for-5 from behind the arc. Raymond and Jarell Byrd each led the Tigers with seven rebounds.

Stillman’s Jeffery Wherry led the court with 21 points, but was held to 5-for-15 from the field; 4-for-11 from the three-point line.

The Tigers jumped out to a 47-32 lead at the half and followed up with 58 points down the stretch. UWA ended shooting 62.3 percent from the field and holding Stillman to 40 percent.

The Tigers now prepare for a three game road stretch beginning with Montevallo on Friday. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. at Trustmark Arena.

“Montevallo has some great athletes,” said Downey. “They will be bigger and more athletic than what we faced tonight. It will be a challenge being at their place, but we need to go out and do what we are capable of doing.”