LIVINGSTON, Ala. - Gavin Robinson set a career-high 33 points as West Alabama dominated Gulf South Conference opponent Shorter 80-67, closing out the 2016 portion of its schedule at Pruitt Hall on Saturday.

The Tigers improve to 5-5 on the season, securing their first conference victory with a convincing first half performance. The Hawks fall to 8-2, dropping to 2-2 in league play.

"Our offense did a great job of maintaining the pace tonight," UWA head coach Allen Sharpe said. "But, our defense really made the difference, especially guarding Phil Taylor in the first half."

After jumping out to an 11-2 lead three and a half minutes into the conference clash, the Tigers continued to enforce a strong defensive presence, along with an offensive assault that saw the Tigers soar to a 27-10 lead midway through the opening 20 minutes.

Shorter shaved the deficit down to 12 as the half came to a close, but Gavin Robinson's buzzer-beating layup extended the UWA advantage back to 14 at the break. The Tigers limited the Hawks' 38 point-per-game scorer, Phil Taylor, to just nine first half points.

The UWA defense continued mounting pressure on the Shorter attack, forcing a total of 18 turnovers as the Tigers reached their largest lead of the contest, a 25-point margin, with 11:50 left to play. 

However, Taylor took advantage of a buckling Tiger defense, punching in 16, second-half points to pull the Hawks within 10 as 2:34 flashed across the scoreboard.

"We have got to get better at managing our play in the late in the game," Sharpe said. "Like I said after AUM, there's a fine line between attacking the net and draining the clock, but that's something we will continue to work on."

West Alabama battled through a fierce Shorter press, and stayed true at the line to clinch the 80-67 New Years Eve win.

The Tigers converted 27-of-35 free throws, while the Hawks shot just 44 percent from the line. 

Robinson's 33 points led the Tigers' offensively, going 11-of-17 from the field and 11-of-13 from the line. Ingram posted 12 points on five field goals and free throw. Robinson collected nine rebounds, six of which were defensive boards. Domonique Alexander collected eight rebounds and three blocks in the win. Sean Cranney added seven rebounds and four assists.

Taylor led the Hawks offensive efforts, posting 25 points in the loss on eight field goals and eight free throws. Cole Birchfield followed with 10 points, connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. 

The Tigers will continue at home, facing off against Lee in a GSC-clash on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.