DAHLONEGA – A.J. White's pull up three with less than a second remaining was the nail in the coffin as the No. 11 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team defeated No. 25 Carson-Newman in a top-25 matchup on Wednesday afternoon in Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.
North Georgia opened the game on a quick 10-0 run highlighted by a
Zack Hawkinson transition dunk and would hold the lead until the game's first tie in the final seconds.
Colin Turner powered the Nighthawks (5-0) with a team-high 19 points on 8-for-16 shooting, adding five rebounds and three assists.
Zack Hawkinson added 15 points, knocking down all but two of his attempts and providing early momentum with seven first-half points as UNG sprinted to a 43-32 halftime lead.
White finished with 13 points and four assists, while
Jameel Rideout and
AJ Baskerville each chipped in key production on both ends. Baskerville delivered 11 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, and Rideout added eight points with a pair of threes for a balanced UNG attack that saw eight Nighthawks land in the scoring column.
A Turner jumper with 12:58 remaining gave UNG a 15-point (61-45) advantage before C-N responded with a 17-2 run over the next four-plus minutes to force a single-possession game.
Carson-Newman (3-1) was led by Jack Browder and Braden Ilic, who scored 18 points apiece. The Eagles shot an efficient 27-for-58 from the floor and connected on nine three-pointers, clawing back from a 15-point deficit to tie the game for the first time since the start with just 6.5 seconds remaining on a pair of Browder free throws.
From there, White took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the floor before pulling up from long range just before the buzzer. C-N's desperation heave with 0.4 seconds was well off the mark.
North Georgia's defensive pressure proved decisive, forcing 14 turnovers that converted into 16 points, and sealing the win with timely stops in the final minute including a transition break away steal by Rideout with 1:12 to play.
UNG assisted on 21 of its 31 made field goals against only 10 turnovers, with six different players recording three or more helpers. The Nighthawks also posted a 35-30 rebounding advantage.
North Georgia returns to action Saturday (Nov. 29) at Ed Waters (4-1) in the Nighthawks' final non-conference matchup of the season. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. at EWU's Adams-Jenkins Community Sports & Music Complex.
