HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of Tennessee Southern men's basketball got back into the win column on Saturday on the road at William Carey. The Firehawks had four players contribute 10 or more points in the 93-83 win. UTS improved to 10-13 overall and 7-7 in league play.
Zaiden Cross ushered the Firehawks to a win leading all scorers with 28 points and four boards. Vito Vujovic tossed in 21 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Robinson added 15 points, and Koby Isaac tallied in 10 points
In the early going, William Carey held UTS scoreless in the opening three minutes. The Firehawks turned the tables popping off eight consecutive points of their own to tie the game at eight. The opening half stayed close, as both teams traded the lead numerous times until the eight minute mark in the half. A Ryan Dunn layup gave UT Southern a 25-24 lead, and they Firehawks would not trail again for the remainder of the game. The Firehawks ended the half on a 21-14 run, leading 46-38 at the break. UTS shot 17-36 from the field, knocking down five triples, shooting 47 percent. Cross netted 17 , 7-12 from the floor, in the opening 20 minutes.
The Firehawks fended off several comeback attempts by the Crusaders in the final 20 minutes. The Firehawks came out strong from the locker room outscoring WCU 17-4 in the first five minutes. Just when it looked like UTS was heading for a blowout win, the Crusaders closed back to trail by seven with seven minutes to go. In the waning minutes, WCU got as close as trailing by five on two occasions in the final three minutes. Two big Vujovic long range missiles and a Robinson layup lifted the good guys back up my 10 in three possessions.

BY THE NUMBERS
52.3 – UTS shot 34-65 for 52.3 percent outshooting the Crusaders' 32-64 (50%).
8 – UTS drained eight triples, same as WCU.
17 – UTS connected on 17 of 22 free throws, to WCU's 11 of 24 from the foul line.
34 – The Firehawks pulled down 34 rebounds in the game, same as the Crusaders.

PROGRAM HISTORY
With today's win, head coach Andy Sharpe surpasses Chuck Benson(1996-2003) as the all time program wins leader. Benson held this accolade since 2003 with a 137-96 record in six years. Sharpe coached the RedHawks from 2007-2012 compiling 128-40 record in those five seasons. Sharpe currently touts a 138-53 record including this season.
 
NEXT UP
The Firehawks will return home next week for a rare Wednesday night SSAC match up. UTS welcomes Faulkner to the CAC on February 12. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Faulkner defeated UTS in the "Gump" on November 14, 67-62.
 
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