LIVINGSTON – The University of West Alabama men’s and women’s basketball teams begin the second half of the Gulf South Conference round-robin schedule Thursday by hosting GSC newcomer Shorter University.

Tickets are $5 at the door, $3 for students. Tiger Club All-Sports Passes are honored and UWA students are admitted free with a valid student ID.

The UWA women are looking to snap a four-game losing streak against a Lady Hawks team that defeated the Tigers, 56-53, Nov. 29 in Rome, Ga. Injuries have limited West Alabama to this point in the season, with Coach Craig Roden’s top eight players missing a combined total of 34 games.

After missing three games in January with a foot injury, forward Brittany Weathers is slowly returning to being a force in the UWA lineup. A senior from Hattiesburg, Miss., Weathers leads the GSC and is fourth in the nation in scoring at 21.4 points per game. Shorter comes to Pruitt Hall on a five-game winning streak, having won seven of its last 10.

The UWA men’s team has been significantly better at home this season. Six of the Tigers’ seven wins have come at Pruitt Hall. Shorter defeated UWA, 100-83, Nov. 29 at the Winthrop-King Centre in Rome, Ga. Thursdays have also been kind to West Alabama, with the Tigers winning their last four two-game GSC series openers.

Guard Steven Samuels continues to carry the load for Coach Mike Newell’s team, scoring 25 points last Thursday at home against Union before scoring 18 and grabbing 12 rebounds in a loss at North Alabama on Saturday. Shorter comes into the game winners of seven of its last 10.

In its first year of league play, teams from Shorter are not eligible to compete in the GSC Tournament March 7-10 in Birmingham, but results of games played against the Hawks count in league standings.