AIKEN, S.C. – For the first time in 11 years, the No. 20 University of North Georgia men's basketball team will play in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament semifinals after a 77-73 over seventh-seeded Georgia Southwestern Wednesday afternoon at USC Aiken.
The second-seeded Nighthawks dominated GSW, particularly on defense, forcing seven steals and blocking eight shots as a team. The win marks the first in the PBC Tournament for head coach
Dan Evans. Now his team will prepare to face sixth-seeded Columbus State in the PBC Tournament semifinals tomorrow, Thursday, Mar. 7 at 5 p.m.
Junior forward
Frank Champion was exceptional in the quarterfinal matchup. He posted a career high 33 points and set a new PBC Tournament single game record with 19 made free throws. In total, Champion went 7-for-13 from the floor and 19-for-21 (91%) at the charity stripe while adding five rebounds and two blocks.
The 6-foot-10 forward was stifled on offense in both regular season matchups against the Hurricanes. In two games, Champion only mustered 19 points, including just 10 points in the 80-71 February loss at the Storm Dome.
After the game, Champion said, "I just knew I had to be aggressive. We played them maybe a week or two ago and I just wasn't aggressive enough."
However, the four time PBC All-Conference selection and 2023 PBC Player of the Year proved that no one can outrun Champion for long. "It's March, and in March the best players have got to come (show) out, so that's what I had to do," Champion said.
Champion's refocus on aggression got him back to doing what he does best; scoring inside and getting to the free throw line. During the regular season, no one attempted more free throws in the PBC than Champion. He went to the line 180 times, knocking down 106 of those attempts, the fourth most in the league.
Champion wasn't the only big man to assert himself down low for UNG. Sophomore center
Colin Turner, perhaps fueled by his career night in the regular season finale at Clayton State, added 12 points, four rebounds, two blocks and a 6-for-6 performance at the line off the bench.
Turner started his first career collegiate game last Saturday and did not disappoint, going off for a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds on 12-for-13 shooting from the floor. His 12 points against GSW mark just the third double digit scoring effort of his career.
Sophomore guard
AJ White joined Champion and Turner as the third and final double digit scorer for the Nighthawks. The 2023-24 PBC All-Conference First Team member dropped 12 points and three steals. White knocked the only two UNG three-pointers in the game, going 2-for-5 from distance.
Early in the game UNG found itself trailing by as many as nine points after a three-pointer from Hurricane senior guard Jalen Johnson gave GSW a 23-14 lead at the 10:54 mark. From that point forward, the Nighthawks outscored the Hurricanes 24-13 to take a two-point lead into the locker room.
The second half was much more intense as neither team mustered larger than a six-point lead. At the final media timeout, with 3:58 to go, the Nighthawks clung to a 68-67 advantage.
After trading buckets, UNG forced a turnover when Champion plucked the ball from the offense and began to push it in transition. He found White slashing to the basket for a layup to give the Nighthawks a three-point lead, 72-69.
The next time down the floor, GSW had three looks at the basket from inside five feet to cut into the lead. Yet, the 6-foot-9 Turner held his ground strong on the possession forcing numerous misses. The possession culminated when Turner blocked a shot and senior guard
Hunter Shedenhelm grabbed the board before being fouled.
After Shedenhelm made the pair of foul shots to give UNG a 74-69 lead with 1:27, the Hurricanes had the ball on their largest possession of the season. Desperately needing a bucket, GSW's leading scorer Johnson drove the lane. Waiting for him was sophomore guard
Cayden Charles who poked the ball loose and took it the other way for the Nighthawks.
The Hurricanes were forced to begin intentionally fouling UNG and could not muster a comeback with under a minute to go.
Despite being out rebounded, out shot from the floor and downtown, out scored in the paint and outscored off turnovers, the 29-point advantage at the free throw line was enough to propel the Nighthawks to a victory.
"We played physically, but they're a good team," Evans said. "If you can win, no matter what it looks like, you've done really well. We're the best league in the region for a reason and so I'm really proud of our guys to persevere. We did just enough to survive and get through and play another day."
The free throw discrepancy was no fluke either. These two teams entered Wednesday's contest on polar opposite sides of the foul spectrum. GSW ranked last in the PBC and No. 263 in NCAA Division II in fouls per game at 19.8. On the other side of the spectrum was UNG who led the PBC and ranked No. 6 nationally in free throw attempts per game at 26.1.
Furthermore, the Hurricanes have displayed difficulty to defend without fouling against the Nighthawks in the past. UNG's 39 made free throws and 46 attempts Wednesday are the most in a single game for the program under Evans, and the most in a game in program history since 2015-16.
In three games against GSW this year, the Nighthawks averaged 40 attempts at the free throw line, the most of any opponent they faced this season.
Now UNG will face sixth-seeded Columbus State after the Cougars upset third-seeded Lander, 65-54 Wednesday afternoon. The Nighthawks went 1-1 against CSU in the regular season, taking down the Cougars 82-79 on the road in January and falling 68-67 in overtime at home in February. The PBC semifinal showdown tips off tomorrow, Thursday, Mar. 7 at 5 p.m. Should UNG advance to the PBC championship game, it will be the first appearance in the conference tournament's final game in program history.
