YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. -
Stephen Akwiwu scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds to help the (RV) University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team use a late second-half surge to outlast Young Harris, 77-71, on Saturday evening at YHC's Harp Recreation & Commencement Center on the final day of the Southeast Region Conference Crossover.
AJ White led the Nighthawks (2-0) with 16 points, including two timely threes, while
Colin Turner added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Jake Stephens knocked down four threes off the bench for 12 points as North Georgia's depth carried the second-half push.
The matchup swung back and forth throughout the night, featuring eight ties and 16 lead changes. After falling behind 33-30 at halftime, North Georgia quickly erased the deficit with back-to-back scoring possessions from
Chase Champion and White. The Mountain Lions briefly reclaimed the lead behind another burst from Carl Cleveland, but the Nighthawks answered with the game's decisive stretch midway through the half.
With the score tied 37-37, White buried a transition three to push North Georgia in front. Moments later, Stephens connected on consecutive threes, one off a kick-out from
Jameel Rideout, another following a defensive rebound, to flip the momentum and give UNG a two-possession advantage it would not relinquish. Turner's tip-in with 17 minutes left also sparked a run of five straight lead changes before the Nighthawks finally seized control.
Young Harris (1-1) leaned heavily on the dominant scoring of Carl Cleveland, who poured in 39 points on 15-of-20 shooting. Justin Payne added 16 points and four assists.
North Georgia outscored Young Harris 47-38 in the second half, shot 55.6% over the final 20 minutes, and held YHC to just two made threes after the break. The Nighthawks also turned 10 Mountain Lion turnovers into 11 points, won the bench-scoring battle 36-2, and went 20-for-23 at the free-throw line.
The Nighthawks play their first home game of the season against Francis Marion on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m. at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.
