DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Junior Shaquan Cantrell scored 20 points to lead five Nighthawks in double figures as the University of North Georgia men's basketball team used a late second half rally to pull away from Paine, 86-75, on Saturday afternoon in UNG's Memorial Hall.

Paine led by one, 42-41, at the break and would lead by five at the 12:50 mark of the second half, but the game remained a two-possession contest until late in the half.

North Georgia took control of the game with an 11-2 run that began with 9:06 remaining and was capped with a layup by Ebo Smith with just under five minutes top lay.

NOTES
- Roderick English added 15 points after connecting on half of his six attempts from long range.

- Ross Morkem was just a single rebound shy of his first career double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds with both categories matching career highs for the freshman forward.

- Tyler Dominy and Ebo Smith rounded out the double figure scorers for UNG with 14 and 13 respectively.
 
- Malcom Whittington led four Lions (1-7) in double figures with 20 points on 7-of-12 from the floor, including an impressive 5-of-7 from behind the 3-point line.

- UNG held an 18-point advantage on points in the paint, highlighted by 20 points in the lane in the second half.

- The Nighthawks made good on 7-of-18 (39%) 3-pointers with all seven makes coming before halftime.

NEXT UP
North Georgia (4-5) kicks off Peach Belt Conference play on Friday, Dec. 16 against Augusta with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in UNG's Memorial Hall.  The game will be Lumpkin County Park & Recreation Night.