Three players scored in double figures for Shorter as the Hawks defeated the West Alabama Tigers 94-81.

In the opening half, Shorter (12-13, 7-12) shot 11 of 26 from the field, while holding the Tigers to 30.3% shooting. West Alabama (11-14, 7-12) made two of 11 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half, but Shorter only converted on four of 12 attempts from three. At the intermission, the Hawks led, 39-34.

The Tigers shot a much-improved 50% in the final half, but Shorter also shot a better percentage, hitting 60% of its shots. The Hawks took their largest lead of the game with 5:39 to go in the game and never looked back. Shorter outscored West Alabama 55-47 in the second on its way to a 13-point victory.

Although the lead changed teams nine times during the game, UWA did not lead by more than one basket. The Tigers led for a mere 1:23, while the SU led for nearly 38 minutes. The difference came on points in the paint and fast break
points. The Hawks scored 40 points in the paint, compared to 28 the Tigers. The home team also outscored the visitors 10-4 in fast break points

Shorter's Phil Taylor led all scorers with 31 points, including 18 of 20 shooting from the free throw line. Taylor alone shot just six less free throws than the entire West Alabama squad. Trevor McDade added 22 points and shot a perfect six of six at the charity stripe. Chris Daniels recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Simeon Dennis led the Tigers with 23 points.

Shorter returns to action on Thursday at Delta State. Tipoff between the Hawks and Statesmen is set for 8:30 PM EST from Cleveland, Mississippi.