CARROLLTON, Ga. (Interstat) — A second-half surge fueled by Shelton Williams-Dryden and a dominant performance in the paint propelled the West Georgia Wolves to an 87-73 victory over the Jacksonville Dolphins in an ASUN Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at The Coliseum.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 572, was a tale of two halves. Both teams entered halftime deadlocked at 35, but the Wolves erupted after the break, outscoring the Dolphins 52-38 to pull away decisively. The most important part of the game was West Georgia’s immediate and sustained aggression to start the second half, which transformed a tight contest into a comfortable win. They opened the period on a 12-2 run, establishing a tone of physicality and efficiency that Jacksonville never managed to counter.

Williams-Dryden, a 6-foot-6 junior from Milwaukee, was the catalyst, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He was relentless attacking the basket, drawing fouls and converting second-chance opportunities. His effort was complemented by a formidable frontcourt partner in JaVar Daniel. The 6-foot-10 sophomore from Memphis, named the top star for West Georgia, recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, adding two assists and two blocks to anchor the defense.

The Wolves’ interior dominance was the statistical story of the game. West Georgia outscored Jacksonville 48-40 in the paint and held a 13-11 edge in offensive rebounds, which led to numerous critical second-chance points. Furthermore, the Wolves capitalized on Dolphins mistakes, scoring 19 points off 11 Jacksonville turnovers, while the Dolphins managed only seven points off West Georgia’s seven giveaways.

Jacksonville guard Jaylen Jones led all scorers with 19 points, adding four rebounds and four assists. Hayden Wood contributed 12 points for the Dolphins. The Jacksonville offense, however, struggled with consistency, shooting just 45.6 percent from the field and a frigid 25 percent from three-point range. Their offensive rating of 106.0 paled in comparison to West Georgia’s highly efficient 123.9.

West Georgia’s backcourt provided crucial support. Josh Smith scored 20 points off the bench, and Kolten Griffin added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Griffin’s three-pointer early in the second-half burst helped ignite the decisive run.

The victory improved West Georgia’s season record to 11-13 overall. The Wolves snapped a three-game losing streak and avenged a 75-43 loss to Jacksonville just four weeks prior on Jan. 10. Jacksonville, which had won the previous meeting by 32 points, fell to 9-16 with the loss, continuing a difficult season.

National statistical models had slightly favored Jacksonville pregame, but West Georgia’s second-half performance defied those projections. The combined score of 160 points also sailed over the pregame over/under line of 137, highlighting the offensive explosion after halftime.

West Georgia now looks ahead to a road contest at North Alabama on Wednesday. Jacksonville will travel to face Stetson next Thursday as both teams continue their conference schedules.