Wright Leads UAM over Philander Smith with 26 points and 18 rebounds
January 5, 2008

MONTICELLO, Arkansas – Gulf South Conference West Division Player of the Week Raymond Wright proved he was worthy of the award with a 26 point 18 rebound performance in Arkansas-Monticello’s 81-59 win over Philander Smith.
 
“It’s great to have Raymond out there,” said Weevils’ head coach Mike Newell. “(Wright) really loves to play the game and his confidence level is growing each game he plays, which is very important.”
 
Wright (6-9, Jr., New York, N.Y.) was 9-of-15 from the field and finished with a game-high 80 percent free-throw shooting percentage after connecting on 8-of-10 attempts. Also, Wright tallied four assists and two blocked-shots. His double-double of 26 points and 18 rebounds is not only a season-high, but a career-high as well. Now with seven games played this season, Wright has turned in four double-double performances.
 
However, Wright had to share the spotlight with junior Bernard Seymour (Biloxi, Miss.), who turned in a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Seymour recorded his 10th rebound late in the second half with 3:38 remaining – pulling down a defensive board from a Philander Smith missed foul shot. Seymour also collected five assists and five steals, all with only two minutes of rest.
 
Philander Smith edged out UAM in the bench points category 25-19 despite only having two bench players. Panthers Tommy Bozeman and Brandon Bealer finished with 13 and 12 points respectively, all off the bench.
 
The Panthers were led in scoring by Stephen Murdock, who turned in a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds.
 
“They played us really well,” said Newell after the game. “We knew coming into this game that they would work the entire game, and they did. We’ve got them again in February at their place, so we need to be much better by then.”
 
Sophomore Derek Easter (El Dorado, Ark.) also reached double-digits with 11 points scored. Easter also pulled down six rebounds in his 28 minutes of play. He was 5-of-9 from the field and also hit a three-pointer.
 
Freshman D’Angelo Dean (Cincinnati, Ohio) rounded out the UAM double-digit scorers after going 5-of-8 from the field for 10 points.
 
UAM held its largest lead of 29 points with 3:16 to go in the contest after a put-back attempt fell for junior Marcus Baham (Paterson, N.J.). The put-back was one of two field goals for Baham.
 
With the win, UAM improves to 7-4 overall this season, while Philander Smith drops to 5-12.
 
The countdown to Gulf South Conference play has now decreased to one game. UAM hosts Central Baptist College on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. in the Steelman Fieldhouse. That game is the last non-conference game before UAM begins its 14-game GSC schedule starting next Saturday, Jan. 12 at Harding.