MONTEVALLO, Ala. — The University of North Georgia men's basketball team refused to go without a fight Saturday afternoon, after slipping behind in the closing minutes, the Nighthawks rallied and walked-off winners as Ephraim Tshimanga hits a buzzer-beat on one of his trademark floaters inside the paint to lift UNG to a 58-56 win over Montevallo at Trustmark Arena. The Nighthawks advance to 10-9 on the season and are now 6-4 in the Peach Belt Conference.
 
The game was truly a tale of two halves as the Nighthawks used a strong finish to the first period of play to take a 15-point lead into the break. The Falcons would go on a tear near the 10-minute mark in the second half though, erasing the double-digit Nighthawk lead with a 21-5 run. Trailing by three with less than 30 seconds remaining, UNG forced a pair of turnovers and made good on all three free throws. Just as Shaquan Cantrell's last free throw was floating through the iron, that would've given North Georgia a one-point lead, a lane violation was called on the Nighthawks taking the point off the board and giving the ball back to Montevallo in a tied game.
 
The Nighthawks pressed on the inbound pass and Tshimanga swatted the ball off of a Falcon and out of bounds to give the Nighthawks possession of the ball once again with seven seconds left to play. After receiving the inbound pass from Tyler Dominy, Tshimanga went to work a good move at the top of the key to penetrate the lane allowing a good look for the floater that received a little help from the iron, falling through as time expired to hand a hard earned victory to UNG.
 
NOTES
- Ross Morkem led the Nighthawks in both scoring and rebounds with 16 points and nine boards, just one rebound shy of a double-double.
 
-  Montevallo's Javonte Douglas led all scorers with 26 points and added 11 boards for a double-double.
 
- The win is the second straight for North Georgia over Montevallo with both coming off buzzer-beaters, though last year's game saw a little more offense at 91-90. The Falcons will travel to Dahlonega on Wednesday, Feb. 15 for UNG's Spirit Night.
 
NEXT UP
UNG returns home on Monday to host rival-Young Harris in the Battle of Blood Mountain series game that will also serve as Operation Nighthawks of Honor and Faculty Appreciation Night. Tipoff for the men's game is set for 7:30 p.m.