COLUMBUS, Ga. - Kendall Emener scored 15 points off the bench, but the University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team fell 70-52 to No. 22 Columbus State in Peach Belt Conference action Thursday night.

Columbus State opened the game on an 11-2 run and led 21-13 after the first quarter. North Georgia cut the deficit to five on a basket by Zaynah Preston with 2:17 remaining in the opening frame but was unable to draw closer.

The Cougars continued to pull away in the second quarter, extending the lead to as many as 19 points and taking a 40-21 advantage into halftime. UNG was held to just eight points in the period.

Both teams scored 17 points in the third quarter, as the Nighthawks put together an 8-0 run to briefly close the gap. North Georgia capitalized at the free-throw line during the quarter, going 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Columbus State regained control in the final period, pushing the lead to 23 points with 5:02 remaining. The Nighthawks attempted to chip away down the stretch but could not overcome the early deficit.

Emener led UNG with 15 points in 23 minutes of action.

With the loss, North Georgia moved to 12-9 overall and 7-4 in Peach Belt play.

Letiya Reeves paced the Cougars (16-3, 10-2 PBC) with 21 points.

The Nighthawks return to action Jan. 31 when they host Clayton State at Lynn Cottrell Arena inside the UNG Convocation Center.