DAHLONEGA — A 20-9 run for the University of North Georgia women's basketball team led to an 81-71 win over Tusculum in the home opener in Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center. The Nighthawks were in the middle of a tightly contested battle, holding a one point lead at halftime and a one point deficit at the end of the third quarter before outscoring the Pioneers 20-9 in the fourth to take the victory.
Ansley Hall had a big night in her first game in front of the home crowd, scoring 22 points on 7-13 shooting, adding five assists and four rebounds.
Emily Trushel also shined in her home debut for North Georgia, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds.
Lumpkin County native
Lexi Pierce joined Hall and Trushel in double-digit scoring, finishing with 11 points in 26 minutes of action.
Carly Fahey was a factor on the glass finishing with a team high 10 rebounds while adding two steals.
It was a tough night for both offenses, with Tusculum earning 15 steals while North Georgia had 11. The Nighthawks shot 43.8% from the field but held the Pioneers to just 33.8% shooting.
After the win, UNG moves to 2-1 on the season, winning their second straight game while Tusculum moves to 0-1 to start the season. Next for North Georgia is a matchup against Lincoln Memorial on Saturday (Nov. 18) at 4:00 p.m. in the final game of the Nighthawk Classic. LMU defeated Clayton State 77-64 in the early game at the Nighthawk Classic to move to 3-0 on the season.
