ROME- Despite a strong effort in the final minutes, Shorter fell in a tough 90-86 loss to King Thursday night at the Winthrop-King Centre. 

The Hawks soared out of the gates, jumping out to a 9-2 run fueled by five quick points from Ja'Myas Davis. After a brief exchange of buckets from both sides, King opened up the lead, going on a 14-3 run to make it a 32-23 score in their favor. The Tornado continued to put it on, extending their lead to 11 after connecting on a three. The Hawks responded well, scoring seven unanswered before the visitors connected on a buzzer-beater to take the 41-35 lead heading into the break. 

The Hawks struggled to convert from the field to begin the second frame, as the visitors took advantage, nailing a barrage of threes. The Hawks continued to fight back, but would be met by a response by the Tornado as time began to dwindle down. Chris Bibbs led the charge late, helping the Hawks to within four on a circus shot to give Shorter some juice. The Tornado once again pushed their lead out, taking a 79-71 lead at the six-minute mark. Ja'Myas Davis played a major role for the Hawks late, crashing the glass and finishing on tough buckets late. Redick Smith provided valuable minutes off the bench for the Hawks, converting on huge baskets late to keep Shorter within striking distance. After the visitors converted on a tip-in, Redick Smith nailed a deep three to make it an 88-86 game with 16 seconds left. The visitors remained poised, having a successful trip at the charity stripe to make it a two-possession game. The Hawks had one last opportunity down the stretch, but could not convert as they fell in a 90-86 final. 


The Hawks shot 45.6% (32-70) from the field including an impressive 86.7% (13-15) from the charity stripe. Donovan Shangase and Chris Bibbs led all scorers with 23 points each, as Shangase also grabbed four boards and dished out eight assists. Ja'Myas Davis finished with 19 points while pulling down a season-high 15 rebounds. 

UP NEXT

Shorter will look to bounce back as they host Lees-McRae this Saturday for a 4:00 PM tip-off. 
 

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