MONTICELLO – Despite a slow start and an eight-point deficit midway through the first half, the University of Arkansas at Monticello posted a 40-point victory over Ecclesia College Monday night by a final score of 88-48.
 
The Royals jumped out early by as much as eight points with 10:55 left in the opening period before UAM was able to post a comeback using 74 percent shooting in the second half to seal the team’s 11th win of the season.
 
Senior Duke Sturdivant (York, Ala.) picked a good time for the best performance of his two-year career as a Boll Weevil. The senior picked up a game-high 26 points and just missed out on a double-double with a game-high eight rebounds. He shot 11-of-16 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc, both game highs.
 
Three of Sturdivant’s teammates also reached double digits, including senior Bernard Seymour (Biloxi, Miss.) and senior Raymond Wright (New York, N.Y.) with 15 points each, rounded out by sophomore D’Angelo Dean (Cincinnati, Ohio) with 14 points. Dean also pulled down five rebounds and tallied four assists in the win.
 
For the entire game, UAM easily out-shot the Royals by a final tally of 61 percent (33-of-54) to Ecclesia’s 34 percent (16-of-47). The Weevils also won the three-point battle, as Sturdivant’s four treys were the only Weevil three-pointers in the game. The team attempted eight three-point shots for a final tally of 50 percent. The Royals shot often from beyond the arc, but only 7-of-23 attempts found the net for a 30 percent mark for the game.
 
The Weevils conclude their non-conference portion of the schedule with the win and improve to 11-2 overall before beginning a 14-game Gulf South Conference schedule. The Royals drop to 11-7.
 
UAM hosts Christian Brothers this Saturday, January 10 at 4 p.m. to open the conference season. The game can be heard in southeast Arkansas on the radio at KHBM-FM, 93.7. That broadcast can also be heard over the Internet at uamsports.com.