No. 1 Seed UAH (21-6) vs. No. 8 Seed Shorter (14-14)
WHEN	Tuesday, March 1 | 7 p.m.
WHERE	Kelly Court at Spragins Hall
FOLLOW	Video | Audio | Live Stats
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@GameDayUAH)

HUNTSVILLE | The University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team will open up its title defense on Tuesday as the top-seeded Chargers welcome No. 8 seed Shorter to Kelly Court at Spragins Hall in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Gulf South Conference Championships. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
 
UAH won the tournament a year ago for the second time in program history, and the team will be making its 12th straight appearance at the event. The Chargers are 14-13 overall in the tournament with seven semifinal appearances, two runner-up finishes, and the two titles.
 
The Chargers enter the event as the top seed for a second consecutive year after going 21-6 overall and 18-4 in conference play during the regular season, and the team was especially strong from late January on as UAH won 10 of its last 11 games including a 108-88 throttling of North Alabama this past Saturday.
 
On the strength of three players who are averaging double figures, UAH is scoring nearly 85 points per night with Seab Webster leading the way with15.7 points per game to go along with a team-best 6.3 rebounds per contest, and he is joined in double figures in scoring by Brandon Roberts who averages 13.8 and Greg Gardner with his 11.2 points per game scoring average.
 
Gardner is also dishing out 6.2 assists per game to lead both UAH and the GSC.
 
UAH won both meetings with Tuesday's opponent this season, outlasting the Hawks for a 100-97 win back on Dec. 17 before rolling to a 96-78 victory in Rome on Feb. 6. Roberts particularly impressed against Shorter, averaging 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the two games.
 
Shorter closed out the season strong with wins in three of its last four games, including a 79-73 win over Lee that helped push the Hawks into the postseason.
 
Phil Taylor has been terrific for SU on the season, averaging 25.3 points per contest while also dishing out 4.4 assists per game. Four other players are also averaging double figures, and the team is leading the GSC with a scoring average 87.0.
 
The winner of Tuesday night's contest will earn a trip to the Pete Hanna Center on the campus of Samford in Birmingham for the semifinals which will take place on Friday evening.