Contributed
(Feb. 7, 2010)

ROME, Ga. - Shorter overcame a big deficit with a pair of big runs in the second half and then raced away from Faulkner for a 69-61 victory Saturday afternoon in a key Southern States Athletic Conference  game.

Faulkner led by as many as 16 points in the first half and was on top 40-26 with 17:51 to play. That’s when things went ice cold for the Eagles, as the Hawks reeled off 15 straight points to grab their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. The Eagles regained the lead at 49-46 with 5:48 left, only to see Shorter go on an 11-0 run over the next two minutes to effectively slam the door shut.

"I think we lost our composure in the second half," Faulkner coach Jim Sanderson said. "We’re really disappointed with the second half and how they just dominated us on the boards. But give Shorter credit, they did what they had to do to come back."

The Hawks (16-8, 4-6 SSAC) outrebounded the Eagles (14-9, 4-5 SSAC) 38-24, with 15 coming on the offensve end that resulted in 18 second-chance points.

Camille Ngon’ angon scored 10 points and was the only Faulkner player in double figures. Marqise Wright had 18 points and 12 rebounds to pace Shorter.

Faulkner hosts Auburn Montgomery Tuesday night at 7. The game will be shown live on the Web on River Region Sports.