The West Georgia Wolves had a chance to clinch a postseason birth with a win at home on Saturday night in the Coliseum. The West Alabama Tigers also needed the win to stay in postseason contention and played like they wanted it more, defeating the Wolves in a blow out 81-61.

West Alabama practiced their zone defense during warm-ups and implemented it to perfection during the game. They neutralized West Georgia’s athleticism and length, forcing the Wolves to settle for contested jump shots all night long.

“This loss is embarrassing for our team, our school, and our community,” said UWG head coach Michael Cooney. “To lay an egg like this on our home floor, in our last home conference game is unacceptable and I take full responsibility for this loss.”

The Wolves got off to a fast start getting a transition tomahawk slam from junior guard Justin Cummings to open the game. Following the dunk, senior forward John Pringle added a lay-up in the paint and junior guard Vojin Svilar knocked down a three-pointer to give West Georgia a 7-2 lead with16:06 remaining in the opening half.

It got ugly from that point on as West Alabama had an offensive explosion in which their team shot just under 60 percent from the field in the first half, including 5-9 from three-point range. The Tigers dominated from the inside out, as senior forward Jason Swanson owned the paint, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Freshman guard Alquan Mendenhall lead the way from downtown, hitting 3 three-pointers in the opening period, giving West Alabama a commanding 17 point lead at halftime, 46-29.

West Georgia fought hard to stay in the game early in the second half as junior guard Deon Sims came off the bench to provide an offensive spark. Sims attacked the middle of the Tigers zone getting two lay-ups in the paint and knocking down two jumpers. His speed and energy got open looks for teammates, including back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore guard Gavin Field and Svilar, which closed the lead to 12 with 6:13 to go in the game.

12 points would be as close as West Georgia would get for the rest of the night. Swanson continued to be more than any single Wolves defender could handle, finishing the game with 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Tigers also got a monster game from senior forward Brandon Hampton. He came off the bench to score 17 points, including a monster two handed dunk that ripped away whatever life West Georgia had left. The Tigers finished the game with a 15-7 run, blowing out the Wolves 81-61.

West Alabama dominated West Georgia on the glass, outrebounding them 40-19 in the win. The Tigers shot a staggering 54 percent from the field and knocked down 78 percent of their free throws. West Alabama also won the turnover battle, forcing eight West Georgia turnovers while losing possession of the ball only once.

“Basketball is a game of emotion,” said coach Cooney. “If you take the emotion out of another team then you’re going to win and that’s what they did to us tonight. They took our passion and we lost all of our energy.”

The Wolves record fell to 12-12 for the season and 3-5 in conference play. A West Georgia win on Saturday would have clinched a spot in the postseason. Now the Wolves must win their remaining conference road games at Alabama-Huntsville and Valdosta State to advance to the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

“The odd’s makers wouldn’t give us a great chance at this point,” said coach Cooney. “We have got a resilient team that’s going to kick, scream, and fight to the end. I know that we can play better than we played tonight and if we do, we’ll see what happens.”