DAHLONEGA – Late game heroics helped lift the No. 18 University of North Georgia men's basketball team over Young Harris, 80-78, in their first game within the confines of Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center since Dec. 12.
Frank Champion led in scoring with a career-high 31 points, 20 of them in the first half, while leading the team in rebounds with 11. Freshman
Cayden Charles beat the buzzer with a last-second layup to put North Georgia on top.
AJ White finished second on the team in scoring, finishing with 17 points, making six of his 12 shots from the field and four of nine from beyond the three-point line.
Giancarlo Bastianoni finished with 11 points, rounding out the double-digit scorers.
Greg Billups, Jr. finished second on the team in rebounds, grabbing nine boards and adding two blocks.
The Nighthawks move to 14-2 on the season, matching last season's win total in their 16th game. Their 7-1 start in Peach Belt Conference play moves them into sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
Head Coach Dan Evans
On Halftime Adjustments
"It was less about adjustments and more about recommitting to what we do well. They executed what they do well by making shots in the first half, so once we were able to commit to what we needed to do, we found a way to do just enough to get the win."
On Freshman Cayden Charles Game Winner
"Just a smart play overall, from the block by Greg (Billups, Jr), Hunter's (Shedenhelm) rebound and pass and then Cayden's (Charles) finish, just a great play from multiple guys at the perfect time."
Key Moments
- A 9-2 run by YHC (14-4, 5-4 PBC) at the 11:19 mark of the first half put the Mountain Lions down 28-20 with 8:31 left in the first half.
- Young Harris connected on 11-of-13 three point shots in the first half.
- White and Young Harris went back and forth from the 5:16 mark to the 2:20 mark, with White scoring 11 straight points for the Nighthawks while YHC made five consecutive three-point attempts.
- Karl Chavis (YHC) made two free throws to tie the game at 75 with 2:32 remaining in the game. Champion retook the lead two possessions later before Christian Schach (YHC) made a three-point attempt to take a 78-77 lead with just 56 seconds left on the clock.
- A Champion made free throw tied the game at 78 with 34 seconds remaining. Billups, Jr. blocked a layup attempt with four seconds on the clock before Shedenhelm sent a full-court pass to Charles for a running layup at the buzzer to put the Nighthawks up 80-78 with no time remaining.
Next Up
North Georgia will continue their stretch at home with a showdown versus USC Aiken (14-5, 7-2 PBC) on Saturday (Jan. 28) for a 3:30 p.m. tipoff versus the Pacers. USC Aiken is coming off an upset over ninth-ranked Augusta, 81-76.
