COLUMBUS, Ga. - With her first rebound of the night, University of North Georgia women's basketball player Kara Groover pulled down her 500th career rebound as the No. 12 Nighthawks defeated Columbus State, 73-50, in front of an empty Lumpkin Center Wednesday night.

The Nighthawks trailed by two at the break after shooting just 30 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. From there, the game shifted into North Georgia's favor when the visiting team went on a 20-5 run to open the third quarter, including scoring the first eight points of the second half.

North Georgia never looked back, extending their lead to as many as 25 points down the stretch before reaching the 23 point victory.

NOTES
- Julianne Sutton notched her 16th career double-double with a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Josie Earnhardt also finished in double figures with 11.

- All nine Nighthawks that saw action ended up in the scoring column.

- The Nighthawks assisted on 23 of their 29 made baskets with Abbie Franklin dishing out seven. With her four points scored, she sits just two points away from the 1,000 point mark in her career.

- Columbus State finished 1-for-17 from behind the arc.

NEXT UP
North Georgia heads to Greenwood, South Carolina, for a top-15 matchup against No. 6 Lander inside Finis Horne Arena. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.