AIKEN, S.C. - After a made free throw tied the game with 7.9 seconds to play, Ephraim Tshimanga came down the floor and hit a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line as time expired to give the University of North Georgia men's basketball team a 76-74 win over USC Aiken Saturday afternoon. The Nighthawks improve to 3-3 in the Peach Belt with the win.

North Georgia trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but the Nighthawks started clawing back gradually. UNG eventually tied the game for the first time at 59-59 with 7:20 to play in the game.

The Nighthawks got their largest lead of the game at seven points after a Carrod Watson three pointer with three minutes to play, but the Pacers did not go away, forcing a tie before Tshimanga's game-winning shot.

NOTES
- Tshimanga led the Nighthawks with 17 points. Saturday was the fifth time this season that the sophomore from Acworth, Georgia, has led UNG in scoring. Ebo Smith and Bennett Fuzak contributed 13 points, while Watson added a career-high 12 points off the bench.

- After the Pacers took a 14-point lead with 7:20 to play in the first half, the Nighthawks settled down on the offensive end, turning the ball over just two times over the final 27:20 of the game. UNG also shot 22-of-45 in that stretch.

- North Georgia won its first game in Aiken since February 21, 2007, a 70-67 win for UNG.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will take on Young Harris in Dahlonega on Wednesday, January 10. The Battle of Blood Mountain matchup will tip off at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Hall.