MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After a narrow two-point loss to the Shorter University Hawks (2-4) just two weeks ago, the Auburn University at Montgomery Warhawks men's basketball team (2-4) flipped the script on Tuesday evening in an 86-84 victory at the AUM Athletics Complex.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Shorter took control early, building a 33-14 lead that would stand as their largest lead of the game.
 
After a scoreless stretch, the orange and black began their comeback. With six different Warhawks contributing, including a solid three-point play by Elhadji Thiam, AUM trimmed the deficit to seven with under two minutes remaining in the half.
 
An exchange of points ended with a foul on the Shorter's Donovan Shangase as he attempted a triple. He was able to sink all three free throws, sending the Hawks into halftime with a 45-36 lead.
 
Second Half
Once again, Shorter opened the half strong, extending its lead to 13. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Marius Canery and Max Ogbalet-Ndiaye gave the Warhawks some momentum. Not much later, Devin Barksdale sparked a 13-point rally for AUM as he added a layup and a trey, helping AUM claim its first lead of the night at 66-62.
 
Over the next six minutes, the back-and-forth battle continued, featuring two lead changes and seven ties, the last of which knotted the score at 81-81 with 1:33 remaining.
 
The Hawks drilled a three with a minute to go, but Scruggs countered with a layup to pull AUM within one. With 12 seconds on the clock, Canery knocked down the huge triple to give the Warhawks a two-point lead.
 
Shorter managed two final shot attempts before the buzzer, but AUM's defense held firm, securing an 86-84 victory on its home floor.
 
NOTABLES

• Colby Williams paced AUM with a career-high 20 points on a 66.6 shooting percentage, adding six rebounds, three assists, and a block.
• Ti'Avian Scruggs finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
• The orange and black totaled 46 points in the paint and 30 points off the bench.
• AUM capitalized on turnovers, scoring 24 points off Shorter miscues while allowing just four on the other end.
• Shorter built a 19-point lead roughly 10 minutes into the first half and held the advantage for more than 30 minutes of game time.
• The matchup featured eight lead changes and nine tied scores.

 

UP NEXT
The Warhawks head to Nashville, Tenn. for a battle with the Trevecca Nazarene Trojans on Thursday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m. 
 
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