LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas – True-freshman D’Angelo Dean recorded his season-best point total of 28 points, but did so in a losing effort, as the University of Arkansas at Monticello Boll Weevils dropped a non-conference game at Philander Smith College by a final count of 81-76.
 
The only number that had significant difference between the two teams was three-point percentage. The Panthers out-shot the Weevils 40 percent to 27 percent from behind the arc.
 
Dean (Cincinnati, Ohio), in addition to recording his highest point total of this season of 28 points, notched his second consecutive double-double with 10 rebounds. Dean scored 20 points and pulled down his season-high of 12 rebounds in the win over Southern Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.
 
Dean’s 28 points, which was the game’s best total, came after an 11-of-14 performance from the field, which was also a season high in field goal percentage at 79 percent. Dean could have finished with over 30 points, but struggled from the foul line, connecting on 6-of-15 free throw attempts.
 
In a tight game that featured 10 tie scores and 13 lead changes, the Weevils let the Panthers take a four-point lead (45-41) into the locker room at halftime. PSC had a nine-point lead with less than a minute left in the first half, but an unanswered three-pointer from junior Deron Brown (Paris, Ky.) and two successful foul shots from junior Marcus Baham (Paterson, N.J.) lessened the gap and carried some momentum into the locker room for the Weevils.
 
The Weevils wasted no time in the second half, gaining a one-point advantage less than three minutes into the half on another three-pointer by Brown. UAM and PSC then started exchanging leads more frequently, while neither team led by more than five points.
 
UAM held its largest lead of four points at the 6:41 mark of the second half, when Dean sunk a lay-up to put the Weevils up 67-63. UAM pulled the game to within three points with 20 seconds remaining in the contest, but PSC’s Brandon Bealer sunk two free throws to end the scoring in the game.
 
Bealer led the Panthers with 25 points after connecting on 7-of-11 field goal attempts, 2-of-4 from three point range, and a game-high 9-of-16 from the foul stripe.
 
Recording his first double-double of the season for the Weevils was junior Byron Wickes (Chicago, Ill.). Wickes scored 10 points and tallied 10 rebounds in his 38 minutes of play – all three were season highs. The last time Wickes played 30 or more minutes was in the first game of the regular season. In a losing effort to West Virginia, Wickes played 31 minutes.
 
Also reaching double-digits for the Weevils was junior Duke Sturdivant (York, Ala.) and Brown, who both finished the contest with 11 points. Brown was a team-best 3-of-8 from three-point range.

With the loss, the Weevils drop to 12-8 overall, and remain 4-3 in Gulf South Conference play, while the Panthers improve to 9-13 overall.
 
The Weevils jump back into GSC play this Thursday, Feb. 7, hosting Harding for a 7:30 tip-off in the Steelman Fieldhouse. Harding won round one of the GSC season series in Searcy with a final score of 68-60. The game can be heard live on the radio at KHBM-FM 93.7, which will be streamed live through UAM’s athletic website by logging on to uamsports.com.