ROME, Ga. – Phil Taylor and Cedric Guillaume helped Shorter improve to 8-1 overall with a 95-93 victory over GSC opponent Mississippi College.

Taylor, who scored surpassed the 1,000-point mark as a Hawk, scored Shorter's first 15 points, giving his squad a 15-11 lead just 5:06 into the game.

Later in the half, Taylor rattled off five quick points to give the Hawks their first double-digit lead of the game, 28-17.

Mississippi College pulled within eight on two occasions, but Guillaume answered each time, keeping the Choctaws at bay.

Amonte Potter and Taylor traded baskets with MC with 5:25 remaining until the intermission, but coming out of the final media timeout Mississippi College went on a run of its own.

The Choctaws (3-3, 0-3 GSC) trailed by 11 with 3:53 to go but managed to cut Shorter's (8-1, 2-1 GSC) advantage to three with just 51 seconds left in the half.

Taylor stopped the visiting team's momentum, hitting a three-pointer off the dribble with just seven seconds on the clock. His field goal from beyond the arc sent the Hawks to the locker room with a six-point lead, 44-38.

Early in the second half, Shorter led by four when Mike Wickliff hit a three-pointer, sparking an 8-0 Hawks run. Guillaume's free throws were the final points of the run, which lasted 64 seconds, and put SU ahead, 61-49.

The Choctaws again sliced into Shorter's lead before back-to-back three pointers by Taylor moved the advantage to 13.  

The Hawks led by as many as 14 points on two occasions, once after a Yephnick Adelphonse three-pointer and again after Guillaume's layup.

Shorter led by nine, 92-81, after Potter's layup with just under two minutes to play, but Mississippi College went a furious rally , pulling within four points.

A pair of free throws by Phil Taylor gave SU a six-point advantage with 26 seconds left, before Mississippi College closed the game with two jumpers, the last with two seconds remaining.

Taylor led all scorers with 52 points. He also dished out seven assists and collected five rebounds. Guillaume added 11, while Potter scored 9. DeOndre Haynes scored 22 points for MC.

Shorter held on as time expired and won 95-93 for its eighth win of the year and fifth straight over the Choctaws, dating back to the 2014-15 season.

Mississippi College shot a scorching 57.1%, while Shorter shot 45.2% from the floor. The Hawks outrebounded the Choctaws, 38-29.

Shorter will return to action on December 31 at West Alabama. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. from Livingston, Alabama.