Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors were defeated by the Shorter University Hawks on Wednesday. 

The Warriors were led in scoring by Eric Hackett with 19 and had five others in double-digits. Ceejay Jordan had a team-high 9 rebounds, RJ Bell had a team-high 5 assists, and Reco Hallmon had a team-high 3 steals. As a team, the Warriors shot 33-73 (45.2%) from the field, 4-19 (21.1%) from three, and 22-27 (81.5%) from the free-throw line. 


Game Vitals

Final: Southern Wesleyan University 92, Shorter University 97

Records: Southern Wesleyan University (9-19, 5-15), Shorter University (6-20, 4-16)


How It Happened

RJ Bell, Raevon Allen, Marcus Long, Reco Hallmon, and Aaron Tims were the first five on the floor for the Warriors against the Hawks. Bell scored on the game's first possession following an offensive rebound from Tims. That was a sign of positive things to come for the home team, as they went on to dominate the offensive glass with 17 rebounds turning them into 21 second-chance points. SWU trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but Eric Hackett hit back-to-back threes less than one minute after checking into the game for the first time to help his team respond. They were unable to retake a lead in the first half, but Hallmon tied it twice in the final minute including a nice finish from Bobby Taylor's assist to make it 40-40 at the half. 

The Warriors scored the first points of the second half as well, taking their first lead since the opening possession of the game. Tims began to find his scoring rhythm early in the period, getting to his favorite left hand and finishing in the paint or earning trips to the free-throw line. Che Smith and Ceejay Jordan also got going, as the Warriors went on to outscore Shorter 60-9 in bench points. The Hawks found themselves with a double-digit lead midway through the half, but the Warriors clawed back from such a deficit for the second time. Christopher Osobaye flipped a switch and began putting major pressure on the interior of the Shorter defense, earning trips to the free-throw line at will. This ignited an 8-0 to cut the lead to one with 1:57 to play. However, Shorter's Chris Bibbs hit the biggest shot of the night on the next possession to regain a two-possession lead. The Hawks shot a staggering 11-16 (68.8%) from three in the second half and 14-23 (60.9%) from three for the full game, which was a major advantage to SWU's 4-19 (21.1%) number across 40 minutes. Colton Wilbanks' dunk was the icing on the cake for Shorter, sealing a 97-92 win for the visitors.  


What's Next

This was the final game of the 2024-25 regular season for the Warriors. They graduate seven seniors: Reco Hallmon, Che Smith, Marcus Long, Raevon Allen, RJ Bell, Alex Tavares, and Aaron Tims.