DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team outlasted Georgia Southwestern in a hard-fought 70-68 Peach Belt Conference battle Saturday afternoon inside Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.

The Nighthawks jumped out to an early lead behind baskets from Hannah Cail and Averie Jones, but Georgia Southwestern responded to take a 25-20 advantage after grabbing the lead with 5:15 left in the opening quarter. UNG answered immediately, using a 10-0 run sparked by Jaleah Storr and Kendall Emener to reclaim momentum and head into the locker room with a 46-45 edge.

North Georgia never trailed in the third quarter and built its lead to as many as nine points with 2:05 remaining in the period.

In the fourth, the Hurricanes trimmed the deficit to two in the closing seconds and had a chance to win it, but their potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, sealing the victory for the Nighthawks.

Jones led UNG with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Riley Simmons pulled down 10 rebounds to go with seven points, while Ava McGlockton added seven points, including the first 3-pointer of her collegiate career.

With the win, North Georgia improved to 12-5 overall and remained perfect in Peach Belt play at 7-0.

Ray'ven Robinson paced Georgia Southwestern (8-6, 4-3 PBC) with 17 points.

The Nighthawks return to the road for more conference action at Middle Georgia on Jan. 14. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.