CARROLLTON, Ga. – After a 13-day absence and the Holiday break, UWG men's basketball returns on Saturday when the Wolves welcome the Shorter Hawks to the Coliseum for a 4:00 p.m. GSC matchup.

West Georgia (6-3, 6-2 GSC) comes into Saturday's game after dropping their last two contests by a combined nine points to two of the conference's best teams in Alabama Huntsville and West Alabama. As for Shorter (3-10, 1-8 GSC), they come in on a seven-game losing streak with their latest loss coming to Delta State.

After struggling on the offensive end in their past couple of games, UWG now ranks eighth in the conference in scoring, averaging 70.6 points per game on 43.3% shooting which ranks 12^th. A big bright spot for the Wolves is that they haven't let their offensive struggles affect their defense as West Georgia sits fifth, allowing 68.1 points per game while holding opposing teams to a 42.5% field goal percentage which ranks fourth in the league.

13 games into their campaign, Shorter sits 12^th in the conference in scoring as the Hawks average 62.8 points per game on a 45.6% field goal percentage which ranks sixth. Defensively, Shorter allows 70.9 points per game, putting them seventh within the GSC while allowing opposing teams to shoot 46.1% from the field which is ninth best in the conference.

West Georgia has won the last four meeting against Shorter, with the last matchup coming back on Feb 14 where the Wolves breezed past the Hawks, 94-68, in Rome, GA. In the game, UWG had six players score in double figures led by Michael Zabetakis who scored a team-high 17 points on 6-11 shooting. Along with Zabetakis, J.J. Barnes added 13 points on 5-6 shooting, while Jalen Sasser dropped 12 points on 5-7 shooting.

After the break, UWG finds themselves tied for third in the conference and have four players within the top-15 in various statistical categories in the GSC led by Zabetakis who sits fourth in the conference in scoring with 18.6 points per game on 44.8% shooting percentage which ranks 13^th. Forward Jalen Sasser finds himself sixth in the league in blocks with 1.3 per game while also sitting 11^th in rebounding with 5.9 per game. Point guard Zawdie Jackson runs the show for the UWG offense and sits third in assists with 4.2 per game and fifth in assists-to-turnover ratio with a ratio of 2.0, while Kolten Griffin stays active on the glass, as the power forward sits 12^th in the GSC in rebounding with 5.9 per game.

Defensively, the Wolves have a trio of players that roam in the passing lanes as Jackson, Zabetakis, and Camron Donatlan all place in the top-15 in steals. Jackson leads the way with 1.8 steals per game, placing him fourth in the league while Zaebtakis sits in sixth with 1.6 and Donatlan ranks 11^th with 1.5 per game.

The Hawks are led by their backcourt duo of Raphael Houssou and Ricky Knight Jr. Houssou leads Shorter in scoring with 12.2 points per game, but has struggled from the field, shooting just 38.1% from the floor this season. After a season-low four-point performance against Mississippi College, the guard bounced back two days later against Delta state, by scoring 20 points and grabbing four rebounds on 7-12 shooting and comes into the matchup against the Wolves following that performance.

Knight Jr. is arguably the best player on Shorter's roster as the senior only trails Houssou for the team lead in scoring by 0.3 points, but is more efficient from the field, shooting 44.2% from the floor. From his shooting guard position, Knight Jr. leads the Hawks in assists with 2.8 per game, while only averaging 1.5 turnovers in 33 minutes per game. After a slow start to the season, the Fayetteville native has now scored 20 or more points in three games this season, including a 22-point, 10 rebound performance in win over West Florida on November 17.

Free admission will be featured for Saturday's game as Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.