CARROLLTON, Ga. - The University of West Georgia men's basketball team dropped Saturday's home conference game, 78-62, to the Hatters of Stetson University. 

Following a tight first half in which the Wolves (2-13, 0-2 ASUN) defense held the Hatters (3-12, 1-1 ASUN) shooting to 38 percent from the field and 10 percent from three, a second-period surge ultimately pushed the visitors past UWG. Stetson finished the game hitting 52 percent from the field and 29 percent from long range after finding their stroke.

"I couldn't be happier with how we started the game. We were ready to go, the game plan was ready, we were executing, flying around, rebounding, scoring and getting each other involved, and they fought back," said head coach Dave Moore. "They punched back, and I don't think we reacted very well. I thought we lost some of our courage, I thought we lost our focus on how we needed to execute to win."

UWG opened today's game in The Coliseum with a 7-0 run, setting up the Wolves with a 16-4 lead by the first media timeout, which was not called until the 13th minute due to the fast-paced play by both squads.

In this first half, West Georgia was primarily finding their success in scoring through second-chance opportunities, earning 15 points from offensive rebounds.

Going into the break, the Wolves held a 32-30 lead after the visitors closed the gap with a 9-4 run in the final four minutes. Shelton Williams-Dryden posted a team-high eight points, shooting 44 percent from the field, but found himself in early foul trouble with three already tacked against him. 

Out of halftime, the Hatters offense came alive, all of the sudden hitting their shots from wherever they wanted. 

SU finished the period sinking 67 percent from the field and 57 percent from three, allowing the visitors to tally 48 points. 

This explosive second half was just too much for the Wolves to overcome, leading to UWG dropping the game to Stetson 78-62.

Following the game, head coach Moore said, "Credit to Stetson, their main guys stepped up and played well. We got to do a better job together, and we need more guys to help us contribute. Giving up 48 points in the second half, 67 percent from the floor, is not near good enough. We are better than that, and it's my job to get them back on track and get working together again."

For the third straight game, junior guard Tauris Watson scored double-digits, sinking a team-high 13 points, shooting 42 percent from the field and 20 percent from three.

Despite his playing time being limited to 24 minutes due to early foul trouble, Shelton Williams-Dryden finished one rebound shy of a double-double after accumulating 12 points and nine rebounds. 

In anticipation of the team's first away conference game, head coach Moore stated, "Austin Peay is really good. They are going to play really hard, lots of ball pressure, lots of full-court pressure. They got good athletes and guys inside that can score. They are a team that is going to make a lot of noise in our league. As we go through the league for the first time, it's going to be a learning experience for all of us, my coaching staff included, on what we need going forward. But right now, we need to concentrate on our guys, and get back to playing as hard as we need to play in order to have a chance to win."

The Wolves take a four-day break before hitting the road to face Austin Peay State University next Thursday, January 9, at 8 p.m.