ROME- Chris Bibbs and Donovan Shangase led the charge for the Hawks as the duo combined for 62 points in their come-from-behind 85-84 victory over Chowan Saturday night inside the WKC. 

Shorter had a slow start in the first half, as they struggled to keep the visitors off the glass. After falling behind 38-24, the Hawks responded with a resounding 10-2 run that was capped off by a Chris Bibbs and one to cut the deficit to six. The Hawks continued to battle throughout the first half but found themselves down 44-34 at the end of the period. 

Chowan came out firing on all cylinders at the start of the second half, as they took a 59-45 lead early. The visitors continued to exert control as Shorter continued to fight. The Hawks finally broke the seal on back-to-back buckets from Jalien Bush, making it a 68-62 affair. After another push from the visitors, Donovan Shangase exploded for Shorter, connecting on back-to-back three-pointers to bring the Hawks within striking distance. After the visitors responded with a three, the Hawks scored nine unanswered, with Axel Holmquist granting the Hawks their first lead since the 15:24 mark in the first half as he converted on a putback. The visitors pulled ahead with an 84-80 lead with less than 90 seconds remaining, which would immediately be met by a clutch pull-up three from Shangase to make it a one-point game. After the Hawks forced a turnover, Chris Bibbs put the nail in the coffin with a go-ahead layup on a beautiful dish from Ja'Myas Davis with 11 seconds remaining. Shorter remained firm on the defensive side, as the visitors failed to convert at the buzzer, granting Shorter the 85-84 victory, snapping their three-game losing streak. 

Chris Bibbs and Donovan Shangase each poured in 31 points to lead all scorers, as Axel Holmquist followed with eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds. The Hawks shot 45.3% (29-64) from the field and a respectable 70% (21-30) from the charity stripe. 

"We battled through a lot of stuff early tonight", said Head Coach Wade Anderson. "We had an early injury and some foul trouble. We showed a lot of resiliency in the second half. I am really proud of our guys. Axel Holmquist stepped up after getting hurt early, recording six offensive rebounds, 11 total. We had guys make big shots that have been making them all year. I'm really proud of how we finished the game, excited going into this new year". 

UP NEXT

The Hawks will travel to Belmont, North Carolina, this Wednesday, where they will take on Belmont Abbey at 7:00 PM. 

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