The Gulf South Conference contest between the Shorter Lady Hawks (12-5, 9-4) and #18 Union Lady Bulldogs (17-2, 11-2) saw the Lady Hawks fall behind early but battle back in the second half before falling 56-55.

Union opened the first half on a high note, scoring the first five points, before freshman Kayla Tillie put the Lady Hawks on the board with 8:19 remaining in the quarter. The Lady Bulldogs would stretch their lead to as many as 12 with 3:40 to go in the opening period. Pressure defense from Shorter and stellar play from Taylor Adams pulled the Lady Hawks to within eight at the conclusion of the first, 24-16.

The second period saw Shorter outscore Union 11-9. Although the Lady Bulldogs led by 11 early in the quarter, a basket by Shakierya McClendon sent the Lady Hawks to the half down only six, 33-27.

The third quarter saw Shorter battle back from its halftime deficit. After Union's Jada Perkins opened the period with a layup, Shaundricka Mann scored four points for the Lady Hawks, cutting the Lady Bulldogs lead to 48-44. A McClendon layup put Union's lead at a mere two points, before freshman Tillie hit a clutch three to give SU its first lead of the game, 36-35, with 6:21 to go in the quarter. Perkins put Union up one, but Adams hit back-to-back baskets, giving Shorter a three-point advantage, 37-40. Following a Union score, baskets by McClendon and Adams gave the Lady Hawks their largest lead of the game at 44-39 with 3:21 remaining in the period. The Lady Bulldogs pulled within a basket, but Adams' shot at the buzzer pushed Shorter's lead to 44-48.

The fourth quarter saw more back and forth action, with Union going on a 9-0 run to take a 53-48 advantage with 6:30 left to play. The Lady Hawks would not quit, as they scored six of the next seven points. A Tamarr Williams free throw evened the score at 54 with 2:13 remaining in the contest. Shorter then took a 55-54 lead thanks to a Mann conversion at the charity stripe. The lead would be short lived, as two free throws by Perkins gave the Lady Bulldogs a slim 56-55 lead with 1:02 to go. That would be all Union needed, as Adams' game winner fell short.

Adams led Shorter with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while McClendon added 14 points. Perkins scored 21 for Union.

The Lady Hawks will be back in action on Thursday as they travel to Valdosta State. Tipoff is set for 6 PM EST.