Weevils Basketball Team Looks to Continue Climb Against Tech, Harding

Courtesy University of Arkansas at Monticello Athletics Department

WEEKLY INTERVIEW WITH HEAD COACH ALLEN SHARPE

MONTICELLO — After climbing to third place in the Great American Conference, the University of Arkansas at Monticello men’s basketball team has the top two teams in the league on the schedule for this week, starting Thursday, February 21 against league-leader Arkansas Tech on the road.

Thursday’s tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville. UAM defeated the Wonder Boys 56-49 earlier this season in Monticello.

The Boll Weevils (14-8, 9-7 GAC) are coming off a last-second 53-52 victory over Southern Nazarene on the road last Saturday. The Wonder Boys (14-8, 11-5 GAC) also posted a last-second victory last Saturday, getting past Henderson State 70-68 last Saturday on the road.

UAM has a small advantage statistically. The Boll Weevils rank ninth in the league in scoring (66.6 points per game) and first in the league in scoring defense (59.9 points allowed per game). The Wonder Boys rank last in the league in scoring (62.5 points per game) and second in scoring defense (61.8 points allowed per game).

UAM senior guard Kori Forge has held on to the top spot in the league for the duration of the season in scoring with an average of 20.4 points per game, while senior teammate A.J. Calhoun leads the league with an average of 8.2 rebounds per game. Willie Kirkland paces the Wonder Boys and ranks 10th in the league at 13.5 points per outing.

On Saturday, UAM hosts Harding inside Steelman Field House for the final home game of the 2012-13 season. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. Harding is currently on a four-game losing streak and with an overall record of 17-7 and a 10-6 mark in the league heading into its Thursday night contest against Southern Arkansas.

Links to live stats, live video and live audio of this week’s games will be available at uamsports.com.

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