ROME, Ga. – It was a tough day on the hardwood for the Hawks, as they lost to the hot-shooting Union Bulldogs, 85-71.

Union shot 48.4% for the game but made nearly 55% of its first half attempts. For the game, the Bulldogs hit 13 of 30 three-pointers. Shorter converted 33.3% of its shots.

Union jumped out to an early 10-0 lead before Mike Wickliff got the Hawks on the board with a three-pointer.

Wickliff's three did little to stall the Bulldogs momentum, as they led by 25, 38-13, before Shorter was able to begin cutting into the deficit.

The Hawks managed to cut six points off of Union's advantage, making the score 46-27, when Amonte Potter hit a three with 4:09 left until halftime, but Union again extended its lead to 25, before Phil Taylor's free throws sent Shorter to the locker room down 53-30.

The Hawks began to make a comeback with nine minutes remaining in the second half. It started when Warren Helligar made a pair of free throws, making Shorter's deficit 24 points.

Over the next five minutes, the Hawks got as close as 14 points when Helligar nailed a three-pointer for his sixth points of the night.

The Bulldogs did not allow Shorter to get closer than 14, taking a 20-point lead before Taylor cut it to 17 with a three.

The two squads traded baskets in the final two minutes and Taylor hit two free throws with 30 seconds left, but Union left Rome with a 75-61 victory.

The Bulldogs improve to 11-9 and 6-8 in the Gulf South Conference, while Shorter falls to 11-8 overall and 5-8 in GSC action.

The two teams split the season series, with each squad winning on the opponent's home floor.

Each team had four players in double figures. Freshman Tray Boyd led Union with a game-high 23 points on seven made field goals, six of which were from beyond the arc.

For the Hawks, Taylor scored 21, while Alijah Bennett added 12. Damerit Brown and Potter each contributed 11.

Shorter will look to return to the win column on Monday when it hosts GSC foe Lee University. Tipoff of the contest between the Hawks and Flames is set for 8 p.m. from the Winthrop-King Centre.