DAHLONEGA | Stephanie Huffman posted 27 points to help lead the University of North Georgia women's basketball to a big win, 77-76, over No. 20 Lander in front of a homecoming crowd of 1,134 on Saturday at Memorial Hall. The Nighthawks advance to 17-4 on the year with a 9-3 mark in Peach Belt play.
 
The Bearcats (17-4, 10-2 PBC) held the lead for the majority of the game and even claimed a double-digit advantage at least once in each half, but UNG would battle back each time. After falling behind by 10 at the 7:31 mark of the first half, the Nighthawks finished the period on a 16-5 run to pull within a point at the break.
 
Lander came out strong again in the second half and eventually stretched their lead to as much as 12, 52-40, with 15:44 left in the game. From there North Georgia would chip away at the Bearcat lead and outscore Lander by 11 over the final 15 minutes of the game.
 
The Bearcats pulled within a point in the final 20 seconds, but Cierra Jackson broke the full-court press and made a layup to put the Nighthawks back up by three with just seconds left. Ty'hesha Reynolds went coast-to-coast and made a layup of her own with the ball falling through the cylinder right as time expired to give UNG the one-point victory.
 
In addition to her 27 points, Huffman added 17 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Kelsey Hutchins added her own double double of 17 points and 14 rebounds for UNG, while Aarika Judge's 15 points led the Bearcat scoring effort.
 
The Nighthawks return to action on Wednesday hosting Young Harris on Spirit Night. Tipoff for the women's game is set for 5:30 p.m.