Game Preview: The No. 16 University of North Georgia women's basketball team looks to win their third straight Peach Belt Conference Tournament crown when they battle No. 23 Lander Sunday afternoon inside Finis Horne Arena. If UNG wins, they would be the first team in PBC history to win three straight conference tournaments.
Nighthawks on the Web: Nighthawk fans not able to make it to the UNG Convocation Center this week can follow along through streaming on YouTube and Facebook, local cable television (Windstream cable channels 78.12 and HD channel 890), live statistics on UNGAthletics.com and on all social media platforms. The game will also be simulcast live on the flagship radio station of North Georgia basketball, Glory 97.9 FM and AM 1330. Links for all games can be found on the women's basketball schedule page. Fans can also follow the action through Twitter by following the women's basketball team (@UNGWBB).
Rankings: North Georgia jumps up a spot to No. 16 in the D2SIDA National Poll and falls to No. 17 in the WBCA Coaches Poll. UNG is No. 2 in the NCAA Regional poll, released Wednesday.
Semifinal Round: The Nighthawks led wire-to-wire against Clayton State Saturday night, defeating the Lakers, 87-65, in the semifinals. Julianne Sutton led UNG with 23 points.
Scouting Lander: Lander defeated Columbus State, 92-67, Saturday in the semifinals. The Bearcats come into the game at 25-5 on the year. LU is in their ninth PBC title game in program history and are looking to win their fifth overall. Winners of 21 of the last 23, the Bearcats are led by Jessica Harris, a first team All-Conference honoree, Tabitha Dailey, a second-teamer, and Zamiya Passmore, a second-teamer and the PBC Freshman of the Year. North Georgia leads the all-time series, 14-10, and have won seven of the last nine. Lander has the advantage in Finis Horne Arena, however, winning eight of the 11 matchups inside the building, including an 87-81 win back in January.
Team Stats: North Georgia ranks first in the Peach Belt Conference in assists, assists per game, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, rscoring defense, three point field goal defense and three point percentage. The Nighthawks rank eighth in Division II in three point defense, holding opponents to just 25.6 percent from downtown.
Postseason Honors: A first team All-Conference honoree, Julianne Sutton led the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with 18.3 points per game this season, a number that rose to 19.4 against league opponents. The junior forward from Flowery Branch, Georgia, has scored in double figures in every game so far this year and is third in the league in field goal percentage. A PBC Player of the Week on February 10, Sutton is also sixth in the league in blocks, had four double-doubles and passed 1,000 career points. She becomes the fourth Nighthawk to be named the PBC Player of the Year, the first since Stephanie Huffman in 2015. A second team All-Conference winner, Abbie Franklin led the Peach Belt Conference in three point shooting at over 41 percent. A junior from Homer, Georgia, she is second on UNG's squad in scoring at 11.6 points per outing and is second in the league in minutes per game at over 33.5. Kara Groover is the second Elite 15 Award winner from North Georgia this academic year, joining women's soccer's Taylor Malasek. The junior from Newnan, Georgia, has a 3.91 GPA while majoring in Kinesiology (Exercise Science). Modeled after the NCAA Elite 90, the Elite 15 Award is given at each of the 15 PBC championships to the student-athlete competing in the championship with the highest over cumulative GPA. The honor is the first for the women's basketball program.
