LIVINGSTON, Ala. —West Florida took home the hardware Sunday at the 2026 Gulf South Conference Men’s Basketball Championship after defeating top-seeded West Alabama, 76-69.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

In their second-ever title game appearance, the Argonauts won their second GSC championship, the first since 2018. West Florida also secured the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. West Alabama and the rest of the GSC will now tune into ncaa.com for the NCAA Selection Show tonight at 10:00 p.m. CT.

West Florida’s Aric Demings earned Most Outstanding Player with a game-high 21 points. Demings was named to the All-Tournament team alongside teammates Anthony Igiede, who had 19 points, and Elijah Wyche, who had 11 points and a game-high three blocks.

West Alabama’s Rasean Frederick led the Tigers offensively with 17 points, while BJ Brown Jr. registered 13 points and six rebounds. Both Frederick and Brown Jr. were named to the All-Tournament team for the Tigers, while UAH’s Quentin Toles and Lee’s Dayvuen Anderson’s also earned spots.

BOX SCORE | GAME HIGHLIGHTS

West Florida led 47-40 at halftime. The Argonuats led by as much as 13 in the second half, 53-40, but the Tigers battled to cut the deficit to three, 68-65 with 3:11 left on the clock. However, West Florida outscored West Alabama 8-4 in the final two minutes to secure the win.

The Argonauts shot 26-for-56 (.46) from the field and 19-for-26 (.73) from the free-throw line. The Tigers converted 24-of-64 (.38) from the floor and 18-of-27 (.67) from the stripe. Both teams finished with 11 turnovers each, but West Florida had a 15-12 advantage on points scored off turnovers.