AUGUSTA, Ga. - Tamera Thorpe finished with 21 points and earned PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors as the No. 22 University of North Georgia women's basketball team claimed its second straight Peach Belt Tournament Championship with a 90-78 win over sixth-seeded Columbus State Sunday afternoon.

North Georgia used a 14-0 run in the second quarter to push the margin out to double digits where it stayed for the reminder of the game. The Nighthawks led by as many as 27 points on their way to the championship and the automatic bid into the NCAA Southeast Regional.

NOTES
- Abbie Franklin notched a double-double of 14 points fueled by 4-of-8 from long range and completed the double-double with 11 rebounds to earn All-Tournament Team honors. Amber Skidgel also added 14 points, while Imani Arnold put up 16 off the bench.

- UNG shot 57 percent from the floor while holding the Cougars to just 33 percent shooting.

- The 90 points scored by UNG is the second most scored in PBC Championship game history, only four points back of Clayton State in 2010.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will await the NCAA Selection Show tonight at 10 p.m. to see their seeding, location and opponent for the opening round of the tournament. The NCAA appearance will mark the second consecutive for head coach Buffie Burson's team and the first time for back-to-back tournament bids in school history.