DAHLONEGA | Shaquan Cantrell highlighted a balanced offensive attack that featured five players in double figures as the University of North Georgia men's basketball team posted an 81-79 win over Lander on Saturday afternoon in Memorial Hall.   The win was in front of a capacity crowd of just under 1,400 fans and punctuated North Georgia's 2015 Homecoming festivities.

North Georgia improves to 14-6 overall and 7-5 in Peach Belt Conference play while Lander slips to 15-5, 7-5 PBC.

Travis Core came off the bench to add 15 points, while Tyler Dominy and T.J. Williams added 13 apiece.  Sean Brennan added 10 points, including eight from the charity stripe.

Cantrell made good on all but one of his seven field goal attempts.  Core added eight rebounds and five assists, both team-bests. 

Lander's J.R. Washington led all scorers with 18 points.  Kiair Crouch added 17, while Ricardo Martin and Mike Lee pitched in with 15 apiece. 

Lander led by as many as nine points in the first half, but a late 14-4 run by the Nighthawks brought the game to a single possession contest at intermission.
 
North Georgia led by as many as seven on three different occasions in the second half.

Leading by four (81-77) with just 17 seconds remaining, North Georgia saw LU's Lee make a pair of free throws before the Bearcats swiped the inbounds pass from the Nighthawks, setting up one final possession for Lander.

A three-point attempt from Washington with three seconds remaining was long, ending the Lander threat.

The Nighthawks play the second of three home games in a week on Wednesday, Feb. 4 when the team entertains Young Harris with a 7:30 p.m. tip off.