DAHLONEGA – The No. 14 University of North Georgia men's basketball team took down eighth-seeded Wingate in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament Saturday afternoon.
The Nighthawks used a run in the second half to pull away with an 89-80 win as they fought off a late-game comeback attempt from the Bulldogs.
A packed crowd of more than 2,700 fans piled into Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center Saturday for the first ever UNG men's basketball game to be hosted on its home floor. The Nighthawks did not disappoint their adoring fans as five players, including four starters, scored in double figures in the victory.
Sophomore guard AJ White led the way with 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown.
The performance was one White desperately needed. In the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, White averaged just eight points per game, well below his at the time PBC leading 18.1 season average mark.
White went 7-for-35 from the floor over the three conference tournament games, as he just couldn't seem to find the bottom of the rim. Most players would shy away from taking as many shots after three performances like that. Not this player.
White got off to a slow start Saturday against Wingate. He missed his first four shots of the game as the Bulldogs kept the score close in the first half. As if White was going to shoot himself out of the slump by any means possible, he kept launching towards the end of the first half. He made three of his last four shots going into halftime which included a pair of back-to-back possessions.
White's consecutive shots from downtown came in the midst of an 18-2 UNG run to end the half.
The Memphis, Tenn. native credited his teammates and coaches for helping him get back into a rhythm post game.
"One through 14 guys, the coaches, everybody believing in me. That's the main point for me, belief," said White. "Once you've got belief, there's nothing anybody else can tell you… The results are the results whether I have two points or twenty points. I just want to win at the end of the day."
While White was finding his way in the first half, sophomore center Colin Turner was catching stride for the Nighthawks.
In the first half alone, Turner had nine points and three boards in what was just his third collegiate start in his career.
He ended the game with 17 points and eight rebounds as both marks are the second most he's had in a game during his career.
As the second half trudged on, UNG applied continuous pressure on the Bulldogs. The Nighthawks led by as many as 19 points after a jumper from White made it 61-42 with 12:58 to go.
Slowly but surely, Wingate crept back into the game. The Bulldogs cut the UNG lead to eight with 4:04 left to play.
However, doing what he does best, White sunk the dagger into the hearts of the Wingate faithful in the final minutes.
After decreasing the lead to eight, White turned around and nailed a triple on the other end to go back up 11. Two possessions later, he hit another three to make the lead 14 points with 2:01 on the clock.
With 33 seconds left and the Bulldogs down by 10, they had no choice but to begin fouling. White knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the first NCAA Tournament home win in program history.
Along with White and Turner, junior forward Frank Champion had an exceptional night on both ends of the floor. He added 13 points and nine rebounds while blocking a shot and forcing two steals. Junior forward Greg Billups, Jr. had a cool 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while fellow junior forward Giancarlo Bastianoni added 10 points with numerous tough buckets in the paint.
"It requires every single one of us," said Evans after the game.
"We have a bunch of good players. And we have a bunch of players that are willing to play the right way, willing to do the right things whenever they're called upon… We have plenty of guys that can do the job and everybody will be asked at some point."
With the win, the Nighthawks advance to the Second Round of the Southeast Regional and will face fourth-seeded Catawba tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the UNG Convocation Center. The Indians advanced to the next round after a 98-94 overtime win over fifth-seeded UNC Pembroke in the day's final game of the First Round.
