DAHLONEGA – A tough 70-65 loss to No. 23 USC Aiken Wednesday saw the No. 15 University of North Georgia men's basketball team lose an opportunity for a Peach Belt Conference regular season title. With the loss the Nighthawks fell to 21-6 overall and 12-5 in conference play, one game behind Aiken who now sits alone atop the standings with a 13-4 PBC record. 

Wednesday's showdown was an intense one all night long as a crowd of more than 2,400 fans packed Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center. 

The game started with a quick run for UNG. Sophomore guard AJ White scored three of the team's first five buckets on its way to an early 10-2 lead. Aiken quickly got back in it, however, rattling off 14 points in a row as the Nighthawk offense was held without a point for over five minutes. 

The two nationally ranked foes traded blows constantly until halftime. 

White did a  little bit of everything for his team before the break. He headed into the locker room with 11 points and two steals to lead the way for UNG.

Junior forward Frank Champion had six points at the break but another issue loomed for head coach Dan Evans. Champion had two fouls at halftime. 

With the game all square at 30-30 after twenty minutes, the Nighthawks were going to need their former All-American in a critical second half. However, Champion was called for his third personal foul just 59 seconds into the second stint of play. Champion remained in the game with three fouls and was a key contributor for UNG. He added five points being forced to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 13:09 remaining. He would not see the floor again until the 3:46 mark. 

During that stretch, his team went down by as much as 11 points after a layup from junior guard Tyler Johnson made the 54-43 in favor of the Pacers. 

The Nighthawks wouldn't go quietly, yet, as White was fouled while shooting a three-pointer. The sophomore made all three foul shots, sparking a 12-0 run to reclaim the lead for the Nighthawks. 

Sophomore guard Cayden Charles got the crowd back in it with a flurry of highlight plays during the spurt. 

After Charles snagged an offensive rebound, he got fouled during the put back and made both free throws. The next time down the floor he grabbed another offensive rebound and scored on the second chance opportunity again. Just 60 seconds later, Charles grabbed a steal for UNG and took the ball down the other end, drawing another foul. One more time Charles converted at the stripe for two Nighthawks points, tying the game at 54-54. In all, Charles scored seven consecutive points for his team in a little less than three minutes. 

He totaled 18 points and tied a career-high with 11 rebounds, marking his fifth double-double of the season in the loss. Charles contributed three steals on the defensive end as well.

As the game neared its climax, it was Johnson who came up clutch time and again for Aiken. At the 6:10 mark in the second half, he drilled a triple to retake a 58-57 lead for the Pacers. The next possession, he grabbed a rebound on defense then got up the floor and quickly hit a three on the other end.

Johnson wasn't just scoring either. He was rebounding, too and with 3:27 to go in the game, he forced a steal from Champion. Johnson held the ball himself and knocked down a mid-range jumper to extend Aiken's lead to 64-61.

After White caused a crowd roaring reaction with a fast break jumper that made it a one point game, Johnson quickly quieted the crown at the other end of the floor with his final bucket of the game; a contested, fade away, mid-range jumper that made it 68-65 for Aiken with only 0:55 on the clock. 

In total, Johnson finished with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, recording his fifth double-double this season. 

The Nighthawks failed to score again in the final minute en route to suffering the five-point loss. 

White led the way in scoring for UNG with 20 points. It's the sixteenth game in White's career scoring 20 or more points. He also added three steals on defense. 

Now UNG will end its regular season on the road at Clayton State to take on the Lakers. The game will tip-off around 3:30 p.m on Saturday, Mar. 2.