ROME, Ga. – Peyton Lewis tied her career-high with 15 points and Gabby Brown made hustle plays at the right time with a season-high 16 points to help lead UWF to a 71-64 win over Shorter at the Winthrop-King Centre on Friday.
 
UWF (4-4, 4-4 Gulf South) won for the third time in the last four games and picked up back-to-back wins for the first time in two seasons. The Argonauts were dominant inside, scoring 30 points in the paint and converting 12 offensive rebounds into 21 second chance points. They outrebounded the Lady Hawks 37-34.
 
The Argos were equally opportunistic in transition, scoring 18 points off 14 Shorter turnovers. UWF had 19 in the first meeting to open the year – a 94-67 win.
 
Lewis came up big in the first half, making 4-of-6 for 12 points to help the Argos claim a 35-33 lead. Brown did most of her damage after the intermission, making a pair of 3-pointers and netting 12 points and four of her eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes. The senior had seven in the final 4 minutes of the contest.
 
"We didn't play well but we played well enough to win and sometimes you have to do that," UWF head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton said. "We figured out a way to get it done. I was proud of the way Peyton (Lewis) played and this is two games in a row she has played very good basketball. Gabby Brown hit some timely shots down the stretch to help us hang on to the lead and some free throws in the final minute."
 
Charlotte Ellmore had nine points and four steals for the Argos.
 
Shorter tied the game at 53 early in the fourth before UWF responded with an 8-0 run. The Lady Hawks got it down to 61-58 before Brown's triple with 3:54 made it a 2-possession game. UWF never allowed Shorter to get any closer than five the rest of the way.
 
Shorter (1-10, 1-10) shot 36 percent and was 7-of-21 from outside. Jasmine Gaines led the Lady Hawks with 25 points.
 
The teams will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern time.