CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — Shelton Williams-Dryden scored 22 points and Josh Smith added 18 to lead West Georgia to a 72-64 victory over South Carolina Upstate in a non-conference men’s basketball game on Friday night at The Coliseum.

In a contest defined by offensive struggles, the Wolves used a more efficient shooting performance to pull away in the second half and improve their record to 4-2. The Spartans, led by Mason Bendinger’s 21 points, fell to 3-4.

West Georgia held a narrow 32-28 lead at halftime before outscoring the Spartans 40-36 after the break to secure the win. The Wolves shot 46% from the floor, connecting on 29 of 63 attempts. South Carolina Upstate, by contrast, managed to make only 24 of its 69 shots, a 34.8% clip.

Williams-Dryden, a 6-foot-6 guard from Milwaukee, was a consistent force for the Wolves, playing 38 minutes. Smith, a 6-foot-4 guard from Chicago, provided a crucial scoring punch off the bench. Kolten Griffin facilitated the offense with a team-high five assists to go with his 10 points.

Despite the loss, South Carolina Upstate’s Bendinger, a 6-foot-4 guard from Salt Lake City, was the game’s high scorer with 21 points in 30 minutes of action. Teammate Carmelo Adkins, a 6-foot-4 guard from Lubbock, Texas, contributed 19 points.

The game was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling from beyond the arc. The Spartans made just 6 of 24 three-point attempts, while the Wolves were only slightly better, hitting 4 of 12.

West Georgia capitalized on its opportunities at the free-throw line, making 10 of 12 attempts. South Carolina Upstate went 10 for 16 from the stripe.

Defensively, the Wolves forced 10 Spartan turnovers and converted them into key scoring opportunities, while committing 14 turnovers of their own. South Carolina Upstate’s Jafeth Martinez anchored the paint with four blocks.

The announced attendance was 522.

West Georgia next travels to face Georgia Tech on Sunday. South Carolina Upstate returns home to host North Carolina Central on Tuesday.