DAHLONEGA – After allowing 40 first half points, the (RV) University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team locked down visiting Southern Wesleyan to a mere 20 points after intermission fueling the Nighthawks to a 67-60 non-conference win on Saturday afternoon at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.
SWU shot 50% (16-of-32) from the floor in the first frame including five made 3-pointers. After the break, North Georgia held the Warriors to 6-of-27 (22%) and a dismal 1-of-13 from long range.
After an
AJ Baskerville layup late in the first half, the Nighthawks were held scoreless over the last 3:28 of the period allowing SWU to push a 31-31 tie game to a 40-31 Warrior halftime lead.
SWU scored back-to-back baskets to push its second half lead to 44-31 before
AJ White broke the drought with a 3-pointer and the Nighthawk defense turned up the heat holding the Warriors scoreless for nearly five minutes.
Southern Wesleyan held a nine-point (52-41) advantage with 11:18 to play before an old-fashioned 3-point play from Baskerville ignited a 12-0 spurt punctuated by a layup by Zach Hawkinson to give North Georgia its first lead since 14:04 mark of the first half.
Colin Turner's basket with 4:17 to play gave North Georgia the lead for good as the Nighthawks used aggressive defense and timely free throws to seal their fourth win of the season.
Chase Champion delivered a near double-double with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while
Zack Hawkinson added a team-best 13-point scoring effort to go along with six rebounds. Turner and Baskerville each finished with 10 points and White contributed nine points and a game-best six assists.
Southern Wesleyan's Jaquay Randolph led all scorers with 25 points and 19 rebounds.
North Georgia wraps up a three-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 26 with a 2:00 p.m. home game against Carson-Newman.
