DAHLONEGA | T.J. Williams and
Juan Rivas combined to score 34 points, but the University of North Georgia men's basketball team came up on the short end of a 77-73 Peach Belt Conference contest on Saturday afternoon in UNG's Memorial Hall.
The Pirates (2-6, 1-1 PBC) notched their first league win of the season while North Georgia falls to 3-8 and 1-1 in the league with the loss.
NOTES- Williams finished with 19 points while Rivas added 15 for the Nighthawks. Both players made half of their shots from the floor with Williams making good on 9-of-18 while Rivas connected on 5-of-10 including 3-of-4 from long distance.
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Tanner Plemmons pitched in with 10 points.
- With the win, Armstrong State snapped a 13-game road losing streak.
- With the Nighthawks up by one, 7-6, just four minutes into the contest, Armstrong State embarked on a 19-6 run - capped by a basket by junior Jamison Jeffers - over the next seven minutes to take a 25-13 lead with 9:22 to go until halftime. The Pirates kept the lead at double digits for most of the rest of the half, taking a 43-31 lead at halftime.
- In the second half, North Georgia started the comeback by going on a 22-11 run to open the half, taking a 57-54 lead halfway through the period. The Pirates would retake the lead on a three pointer by senior Shema Sabiiti, 66-62, with 5:38 remaining.
- North Georgia would take its last lead of the game on a
T.J. Williams layup with 3:21 left that put the Nighthawks up by one, 71-70, but a basket by junior Loren Hall put the Pirates back in front and Armstrong State would get a pair of free throws from Jeffers with four seconds left to preserve the win.
- Jeffers finished with a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 three-pointers and 4-of-4 from the free throw line, to lead five Pirates in double figures on the day.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
1 – UNG's 67% (14-of-21) marked the first time this season that the Nighthawks shot less than 70% from the free throw line as a team.
NEXT
- North Georgia will return to action after the holiday break with a Jan. 2 road trip to Georgia College.
