ROME -- The Hawks second half comeback fell short as they fell to Lee, 79-73, to close out the 2017-18 season.

With the loss, Shorter finishes the year with a 3-25 record and a 3-17 conference mark; while the Flames move to 16-11 overall and 11-9 in the GSC.

With the game tied at seven, early in the first half, Lee tallied a 16-2 run; taking a 23-9 lead on a layup from Leander Ridgeway, Jr. with 11:25 to play. And, from there the Flames continued to build their advantage; leading by as many as 21 late in the period. The Hawks then closed out the half on a 6-2, to head into the locker room trailing 51-34.

Lee didn't letup in the opening minutes of the second half, extending the lead to 19, before Shorter began chipping away. Jacob Newman netted a jumper at the 17:05 mark to make it a 55-38 game, before the Hawks went on to outscore the Flames 26-13 over the next five minutes; making it a four-point game – 68-64 – on a layup from Jonathan Mason. Through the remainder of the game, Shorter kept the game within reach, but weren't able to pull ahead as Lee held on for the 79-73 win.

Shorter's seniors led the way for the Hawks in their final game in the blue and white as Amonte Potter posted a team high 21 points and Mason added 19. Josh Burnett also scored in double figures, adding 10 points.

Colton Blevins led Lee and all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds.