DAHLONEGA - After a first half that saw the score knotted at 44-44, the University of North Georgia men's basketball team fell behind early in the second half and could not complete a comeback as they fell to USC Aiken, 81-76, Sunday night in the UNG Convocation Center.

North Georgia trailed for much of the first half, but the Nighthawks ended the half on a 9-0 run, capped by a Carrod Watson three pointer as time expired to send the game to to the locker room tied at 44.

The Nighthawks continued their run into the second half, scoring the first four points of the period, but the Pacers answered with a 12-0 run to retake the lead. USCA stretched that lead to as many as 15 with eight minutes to play before North Georgia stormed back, cutting the lead to four with under a minute left.

NOTES
- North Georgia was led by Ephraim Tshimanga with a season-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He also had a career-high seven steals, tying the program best for a single game.

- Darnell Snyers ended with 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor. Bailey Minor also finished in double figures with 11 points.

- USC Aiken shot nearly 65 percent from the floor with nearly half of their points coming from the paint.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks head to Francis Marion Thursday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.