DAHLONEGA | Ebo Smith led the way with 18 points off the bench as the University of North Georgia men's basketball team won a thrilling 69-68 Peach Belt Conference contest against USC Aiken Wednesday night in Memorial Hall.

North Georgia trailed by as many as nine points in the contest that saw 12 lead changes and 11 ties. The Nighthawks sealed the win with two Sean Brennan free throws that put UNG up 69-65 with 3.6 seconds left on the clock.

NOTES
- The Nighthawks are now 6-20 on the year, and the Pacers are 6-18. Both teams are 4-13 in Peach Belt play.

- Smith was 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from distance. He was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

- Tanner Plemmons finished with 15 points on five made three-pointers. T.J. Williams netted 13 points and Juan Rivas contributed 10.

- Both teams shot an identical 26-of-59 from the field. North Georgia was 8-of-27 from three-point range, while the Pacers made 10-of-24 from beyond the arc.

- Michael Varrichione had four points on the night on two slam dunks. The second was off a missed Plemmons three-pointer that brought the Spirit Night crowd to its feet.

- Four players finished in double figures for USC Aiken, led by Tavares Sledge with 18 points. Arbry Butler finished with a double-double, recording 12 points and 11 rebounds.

NEXT UP
North Georgia will head down to Columbus State Saturday afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. tipoff against the Cougars. The game will be carried by the Nighthawk Sports Network on Glory 1330 AM.