HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTOS
HUNTSVILLE | Standings that just two weeks ago had six teams tied for first now have just one team at the top as the UAH men's basketball team defeated Shorter on Saturday 70-58 to move into sole possession of the Gulf South Conference's No. 1 position with three weeks to go in the league schedule.
 
UAH, Shorter, and West Georgia all entered Saturday in a deadlock, but the Chargers (17-6, 12-5 GSC) defeated the Hawks (16-7, 11-6 GSC) and West Georgia fell at home to Christian Brothers to leave UAH as the last team standing – for now.
 
Seab Webster scored 17 for the Chargers to lead a group of four players who scored in double figures. Hitting three key triples late in the contest on his way to scoring 15 was Ronnie Mack, while Preston Herring added 13. Justin Ward rounded out the quartet as the freshman came off the bench to record his first double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The contest was a defensive battle as the Chargers finished the game shooting 35.8 percent while holding the Hawks – who were paced by Kordario Fleming's 24 – to a 31.3 percent mark from the floor.
 
Rebounding in the game was even at 46-46.
 
UAH enjoyed the lead for much of the contest after turning a one-point deficit near the midway point of the opening half into a 14-point advantage at the half by outscoring the visitors 24-9 in the final 11:17 of the half, and the lead would grow to as large as 18 in the second stanza before the Hawks would make a push to make the contest interesting.
 
Shorter closed the gap to just 54-46 with 8:20 left in the game, but Mack hit his three 3-pointers in a 4:38 span to help the Chargers go on a 15-4 run that put the game away as Shorter could get no closer than 10 in the waning moments.
 
In the game, the Blue and White committed just nine turnovers while dishing out 20 assists on 24 made field goals. Troy Saxton collected a team-best six helpers, while Greg Gardner handed out five.
 
The Chargers will return to action on Thursday with a key trip to defending GSC champion Delta State. Tip-off in Cleveland, Mississippi, is set for 7:30 p.m. The Chargers defeated DSU in the earlier meeting in the Rocket City, winning 73-61 in a contest that featured five UAH players scoring in double figures.