Feb. 18, 2008

Mt. Berry, Ga. - The Shorter College Hawks lost in overtime to cross-town rival Berry College on Monday night, 85-75, in Berry's Cage Center.

Shorter got off to a strong start in the first half. A Tomas Pranciliauskas shot with 16:10 on the clock put the Hawks up 7-5, giving them a lead they held onto for the rest of the first.

With a little under nine minutes left in the half, Darius Williams started a run of 13 points, nailing six field goals and one free throw shot, which allowed the Hawks a 35-29 halftime advantage. Shorter shot 40.5% from the field in the first compared to Berry's 33.3%

Streaks made up much of the second half, as Berry went on a 12-0 run that was ended on a Pranciliauskas free throw. From there, the Hawks scored seven unanswered points to come within two of Berry's 51-49 lead. Trying to overcome a five-point deficit with a little over five minutes remaining, ten free throws tied the game up at 63-63 with 1:05 in the game. A Berry timeout ten seconds later made the Cage Center a loud place to play.

With five seconds remaining, a last second shot from Williams was not counted to send the rivalry game into overtime.

An early Berry three-pointer, followed by two free throws gave the Vikings the early overtime advantage 68-63. Back-and-forth shots from both teams made it a seven-point Vikings lead with 1:30 left in the game, following four free throws from Pranciliauskas, who leads the nation in free throw percentage. Final fouls on Shorter allowed Berry five free throws and the 85-75 win.

The Hawks continue play on Saturday as they travel to Central, S.C., for a conference game against Southern Wesleyan University with a 4 p.m. tip-off.