A late comeback fell short as the Hawks fell to the West Georgia Wolves on Thursday night, 98-87.

West Georgia's three point shooting was the story of the opening half. The Wolves connected on eight of 14 attempts from beyond the arc. After Shorter's Phil Taylor opened the game with a three, West Georgia's Zach Taulien caught fire, hitting two straight threes to help his team take the lead.

Down 17-12, Trevor McDade traded baskets with UWG (15-8, 11-6) to keep the Hawks within five points, 21-16. Shorter (11-13, 6-12) pulled within one after Chris Daniels drilled a two and McDade scored his sixth point of the opening half.

After West Georgia extended the lead to four, Keron Briggs converted twice from beyond the three-point line, giving the Wolves a ten-point lead.
Taylor and McDade did their best to keep the Hawks in the game, cutting the deficit to single digits late in the first half. The two players helped Shorter pull within two, 39-37, but West Georgia ended the half on a 13-2 run to take a 52-39 lead into the locker room.   

The Hawks struggled to stop the visiting Wolves early in the final half. West Georgia began the half on a 10-4 run – led by Iakeem Alston's five points. Layups by Taylor and Daniels brought SU within 15, 62-47, but the Wolves countered with a 13-6 run.  The Hawks cut the UWG lead to 14, 77-63, thanks to a McDade and-1, but the Wolves went on a 7-2 run in 37 seconds, taking a 19-point lead.

A late run by Shorter gave the Hawks hope. With 1:21 left in the game McDade converted a layup to make the score 92-80. Amonte Potter made a free throw, followed by a Taylor steal and layup. Taylor's shot made the score 92-83 with 43 seconds remaining. In the end, it wasn't enough as the Hawks fell, 98-87.

Taylor led Shorter with 29 points. Daniels, McDade, and Potter also scored in double figures, adding 18, 17, and 15 points. Keron Briggs led West Georgia with 19 points.

The Hawks return to hardwood on Saturday when they host conference opponent West Alabama. Tipoff of the double-header is set for 4 PM from the Winthrop-King Centre.