ROME, Ga.- The Shorter Men's Basketball team earned a hard-fought 78-76 victory over AUM inside the Winthrop-King Centre Tuesday night in a thriller. 

The Hawks opened the game on a 9-3 run, with Chris Bibbs scoring six of the Hawks' nine points. The Warhawks scrapped their way back into it, responding with an 11-2 run. Both teams traded blows for the remainder of the half, with no side leading by more than five. After a last-second buzzer beater from the visitors, Shorter entered halftime down 40-35. 

The visitors had the early advantage in the second half, taking their largest lead at 51-43 at the 15:27 mark. Back-to-back buckets from Jalien Bush and Axel Holmquist brought the Hawks to within three as they kept building momentum. After a few empty possessions from the Hawks, AUM took advantage, jumping out in front 65-57 right at ten minutes remaining. Freshman Jalien Bush stepped up for Shorter, scoring seven straight to bring them within striking distance. After a miss from Bush, Ja'Myas Davis converted on a put-back layup to give Shorter the 70-69 lead, their first lead since the early minutes of the first half. After a crucial missed free throw from the visitors, Donovan Shangase drew a foul and knocked down a pair at the line to give the Hawks the 77-75 advantage with 58 seconds left. The Warhawks made it to the free-throw line, knocking down the first but missing the second. AUM got a second chance, but would be smothered by the Hawks as they forced a shot clock violation. After Shangase split his trip at the line, the Warhawks missed back-to-back free throws to give Shorter the thrilling 78-76 victory. 

As a team, the Hawks shot an impressive 50% (26-of-52) from the field and a solid 76.9% (20-of-26) from the free throw line. Jalien Bush made the most of his first collegiate start, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Chris Bibbs added 17 points with seven rebounds and five assists as Donovan Shangase chipped in 17 as well. Ja'Myas Davis rounded out the Hawks' scoring effort with 13 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. 

"Really proud of how our guys finished out the game", said Head Coach Wade Anderson. "I challenged them with about eight minutes left to get stops and string those together. We had guys step up tonight. Our young freshman, who has been thrown into a starting role, really stepped up, and we were able to finish it out. I am really proud of them, it is a great feeling with our first game at home. The crowd was awesome, I love the support and am looking forward to building into the conference this weekend". 

UP NEXT

The Hawks will begin conference play this weekend as they face Francis Marion on the road this Saturday at 4:00 PM. 

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