AIKEN, S.C. - Falling behind by as many as 19, the University of North Georgia men's basketball team cut the lead all the way down to four points in the final minute of play on three occasions but ultimately fell short to USC Aiken, 94-85, Saturday afternoon.
The Nighthawks jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead before USC Aiken saw their offense finally start clicking as they went on a 28-15 stretch to take a 30-26 lead at the under-4 media timeout. North Georgia hung within eight points until the halftime break and cut the lead to four right out of the locker room, but the Pacers went on a 29-14 run that gave them a 19 point lead at 68-49.
From there, North Georgia started to claw their way back, trimming the lead bit by bit until UNG went on a 9-0 run over a 30 second span to trail 85-81 with 43 seconds left. UNG got to the four point margin twice more, but that was as close as the Pacers would allow as they hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final 40 second of the game to secure the win.
NOTES
-
Frank Champion led North Georgia with 26 points on the afternoon, while
Malik Hardy added 22.
Eric Jones finished with 13 points and five blocks, one off tying the NCAA-era program record for blocks in a game.
- USC Aiken went 6-for-10 from three-point range in the second half.
- The Nighthawks scored 26 points off 18 Pacer turnovers.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will look to get back on the winning side as they take on Augusta Wednesday night inside the Convocation Center in Dahlonega. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
