ROME, Ga. – The UWF men's basketball team only led Shorter for a total of 85 seconds on Thursday night. But thanks to Lawrence Williams' 3-pointer from the top of the key, the Argos led for the final 54 seconds in a thrilling 75-68 come-from-behind win at the Winthrop-King Centre.
 
UWF scored the first basket of the game but then went cold from the floor as Shorter built a 17-2 lead and eventually by as many as 17 with 4:30 left in the half while they rode an electric crowd that provided a lot of energy. But the Argonauts closed the half on a 12-0 run to get within 31-26 at the intermission.
 
The catalyst to the run was Jon Brown. The Argos' leading scorer had missed his first seven shots and made just three free throws up to that point. He had consecutive layups to key the run and added a jumper to get the squad within 10. Brett Carter Jr. made a layup and Cameron Cox ended the half with a three from the left wing just before time expired.
 
Shorter extended the lead back to double digits with an 8-0 stretch to open the second half. UWF continued to battle but still trailed by 15, 50-35 at the under 12-minute media timeout.
 
A 10-2 run coming out of the timeout got the Argos within five. The margin fluctuated between four and eight points over the next few minutes, with the Hawks ultimately pulling ahead 67-60 on a Franki Lilaj free throw with 2:42 on the clock.
 
The Hawks would only score one more point the rest of the game as they went 0-for-4 with two turnovers and 1-for-2 at the foul line. UWF, meanwhile, outscored Shorter 15-1 over the final 2:26 for their third-consecutive victory – a season-long win streak.
 
"(Shorter) came out and shot it really, really well and the crowd got into it," UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer said. "In the second half, we looked to drive the ball hard and tried to catch up with the clock stopped and we played a little better defensively.
 
"We were fortunate to win. They are going to beat somebody in the league. But I am proud of the fact that we kept playing and found a way to win."
 
UWF (8-8, 5-4 Gulf South) dominated inside as they outrebounded the Hawks 38-24, outscored them in the paint 38-24, and consistently drew contact in the second half as they went 17-for-24 at the free throw line, making their final seven in the last minute.
 
Brown had 16 of his team-high 25 points after halftime and shot 8-for-15 after his rough start. Cox was equally strong, registering a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Williams came off the bench to net 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting while producing a game-high plus-12 plus/minus figure.
 
Shorter (3-13, 0-8) shot 47 percent and was led by Ja'Cori Wilson with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
 
UWF will go for a fourth-consecutive win on Saturday at West Georgia (4-11, 2-5). Tip-off at the UWG Coliseum is at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.