BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In an instant classic, the UWG men's basketball team punched their tickets to the GSC Championship game on Saturday night after a 71-69 win over the Alabama Huntsville Chargers.
Zawdie Jackson's game winner propelled UWG over UAH, while West Georgia shot 47% from the field and 42.3% from three as a team in the two-point win.
"I'm just really proud of the effort," said head coach
Dave Moore. "We hung in there because in the second half, Huntsville showed why they're a championship team. We just battled man.
Cole Fisher gave us a giant lift off the bench in the first half to help us stay in that first half when we started to struggle. What made the difference in this game rather than the last two is that we were able to match their shooting. They shot a high percentage from three but we were able to match it this time around."
West Georgia put on a defensive clinic to begin the first half as they held Alabama Huntsville to 24% from the field and 22% from three, 13 minutes into the half. Offensively for West Georgia, it was all
Cole Fisher and
Michael Zabetakis as the duo combined for 23 first half points, including four three-pointers from Fisher. The combo of stout defense and the shooting of Zabetakis and Fisher propelled UWG to a 27-15 lead with 6:00 minutes to play in the half. After going up by 12, a dunk from Alabama Huntsville's Daniel Saylor swung the momentum fully in the favor of the Chargers as the dunk sparked a 17-6 run, cutting UWG's lead down to three at the half.
West Georgia shot 41% and 41.2% from three in the first half, while Alabama Huntsville shot 36.4% from the field and 41% from three.
The Wolves started the second half on a 7-0 run to extend their lead 10, less than three minutes into the half. For majority of the half, the two teams traded baskets as the Chargers weren't able to get UWG's lead below five points until a Luke Barnett three capped a 7-2 Alabama Huntsville run, cutting West Georgia lead to 58-55 with 4:28 left to play. Fisher answered with his fifth three of the game before three free throws and a three from Jack Kostel tied the game at 61 with 2:42 left. Both teams scored on their next couple possessions, leading to a 69-69 game.
Zawdie Jackson walked the ball up and drilled a pull-up jumper with five seconds left. UAH's Max Shulman raced down the floor and shot a 30-foot three-pointer that hit the front rim, clinching a 71-69 win for the Wolves.
"Zawdie wanted it down the stretch," coach Moore continued. "He wanted to take the big shot. He's our floor general and the guy that sets the table for us offensively and he was really really good down the stretch."
Michael Zabetakis led UWG with a game-high 22 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Jackson scored or assisted on the Wolves' final 13 points, leading to the sophomore finishing with 17 points and a game-high six assists. Off the bench, Fisher recorded a career-high 17 points on a career-high five threes.
West Georgia will now turn their attention to the GSC Championship game, with the West Alabama Tigers waiting for the Wolves for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.
