Portsmouth, Ohio – The University of Tennessee Southern men's basketball team defeated the defending NAIA Champions #6 Shawnee State 70-66 on Thursday.

UTS got off to a hot start in the first quarter holding a 12-7 lead in the first four minutes. Later in the half, SSU would build a five-point lead at 28-23, but UTS would chargeback with a 12-7 run to head to the locker room even with the Bears.

The torrid second half would be an instant classic. Both teams would trade the lead as prizefighters trading haymakers in the ring. The game would come down to the final seconds as Mohamed ElGohary would go 4-4 from the charity stripe, including two free throws with two seconds left to ice the Firehawk win.

The Firehawks would have two players reach double figures. ElGohary would lead all scorers with new career-high 34 points. Brady Brown would chip in 10. UTS would outshoot the Bears 36-34 percent from the field. UTS would blister the nets shooting 33 percent from range, and 89 percent from the free-throw line. SSU would dominate the boards with a 42-28 advantage.

"What a battle!" commented Coach Dugan Lyne. "We knew that we were going to have to fight and claw to come out with a win. Shawnee State is a tough well-coached team. Our guys answered the bell. I am proud of our guys for showing some serious toughness and gutting out a tough conference road win."

NEXT UP

The Firehawks travel to Crestview Hills, Ky. to battle the Saints of Thomas More. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 pm on November 20th.