Phil Taylor scored a game-high 38 points, including 20 in the second half, to lift the Shorter Hawks to a 105-97 win over the Valdosta State Blazers.

With Shorter trailing 8-6 in the opening minutes of the game, Amonte Potter nailed a three pointer to give the Hawks a one-point lead. Just under a minute later, SU capped an 8-2 run, thanks in part to four straight points from Trevor McDade. Shorter (10-10, 5-9) led 16-10 at the game's first media timeout, but Valdosta State (11-8, 7-7) would go a run of their own to tie the game at 21 with 11:45 remaining in the half.

The Hawks held a 37-32 advantage with 4:32 until halftime, but the Blazers ended the half on a 16-9 run. Shorter trailed by 2 at the intermission. Phil Taylor scored 18 first half points for the Hawks. In the opening half, the two teams swapped the lead ten times, with the game being tied on six occasions.

In the second half, Taylor continued his dominance. With 14 minutes remaining in the contest, he cut Valdosta State's lead to two. After a layup by the Blazers, Taylor once again hit nothing but net to make it a one-possession game. VSU stretched their advantage to seven points, but Shorter slowly chipped away at the lead. Two free throws by Amonte Potter pulled the Hawks to within one basket, 77-75, with 9:15 to go. Over the next 1:26, Phil Taylor outscored the Blazers 6-1 to give his squad an 81-78 lead at the under eight media timeout.

After taking the lead, Taylor and the Hawks never looked back. Although Valdosta State pulled within five, when the final horn sounded, the Shorter Hawks were victorious by an eight point margin, 105-97

Taylor led Shorter with 38 points. Chris Daniels scored 26, shooting 10 of 16 from the free throw line. Blake Justice led VSU with 20 points.

The Hawks return to action on Saturday when they face Gulf South Conference opponent West Florida. Tipoff is set for 5 PM EST from Pensacola, Florida.