MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Auburn Montgomery Men's Basketball Team fought hard but ultimately fell 72-64 to the Tigers of West Alabama in Gulf South Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
 
With the loss, AUM's record slips to 6-10 overall and 3-5 in GSC action.
 
Isaiah Hart led the Warhawks with 23 points on the night, marking for his seventh 20-point performance of the season. The senior guard shot 10-23 from the floor while also accounting for three rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
Roderick Smith also scored in double figures with a 13-point, six-rebound performance. James Graham pulled down a team-high nine rebounds with eight points scored while Jeremiah Bozeman logged nine points with six boards.
 
West Alabama got off to fast start, sinking seven of its first 10 shots as part of a 17-6 run over the game's first six and a half minutes. 
 
The Warhawks would go on to get back to within striking distance over the next eight minutes, however, with a 13-8 run to trim their deficit to just 25-19 after a three-point play from Hart at the 4:13 mark. From there, West Alabama would go on to outscore AUM 10-7 to see a halftime score of 35-26.
 
The Warhawks chipped away at the Tiger lead in the second half with a 9-3 run from the 19:49 to the 15:34 mark to trail by a score of 40-35 with 5:34 to go.
 
UWA would keep a lead of at least two-possession for the next several minutes until AUM was finally able to break through with a 10-2 run from the 8:10 to the 4:07 mark, with a layup by Hart capping off the scoring run and bringing the score to just 55-54 in favor of the Tigers.
 
After getting to within one possession of UWA on multiple occasions over the final three minutes, the Warhawks were able to tie up the score on their final possession of regulation. A put-back layup from Smith with just three seconds left made the score 62-62 following a missed driving layup from Hart.
 
West Alabama would go on to outscore AUM 10-2 in overtime. The Tigers only converted on a pair of field goals, but cashed in on six of seven shots from the foul line to help seal the victory.
 
Wednesday's physical affair saw AUM out-rebound West Alabama 46-41 and hold the Tigers to just 37 percent (22-58) on all field goals and 35 percent (6-17) on threes. AUM finished the night just under 37 percent (25-68) from the floor with 44 of its 64 points coming in the paint.
 
The men's basketball team will return to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 15 when they take on Shorter University at 3:00 p.m. (CST) from Rome, Ga.
 
For the latest on AUM athletics, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.