DAHLONEGA – AJ White scored 24 points and became the newest member of the 2,000-point club as the University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team earned a 78-67 Peach Belt Conference victory over Middle Georgia on Saturday afternoon at Lynn Cottrell Arena inside the UNG Convocation Center.

White finished 9-of-16 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range, reaching the milestone during his standout performance.

Middle Georgia scored the game's first seven points and opened with a 9-2 run before North Georgia answered with an 8-0 surge to take its first lead with 13:58 remaining in the opening half. The Knights briefly tied the game at 19 with 7:57 to go, but the Nighthawks closed the half on a 10-3 run, capped by a 3-pointer from White, to carry a 38-28 advantage into the break.

Middle Georgia made another push early in the second half, using an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to five. North Georgia responded by pulling away, building the lead to as many as 16 with 7:28 left as the Nighthawks maintained control down the stretch.

North Georgia shot 44% from the field and 85% from the free-throw line on the day. White led the offense with 24 points, while JoJo Peterson and Chase Champion also scored in double figures.

Joshya Robertson paced Middle Georgia (8-16, 4-13 PBC) with 27 points.

North Georgia improved to 16-6 overall and 10-6 in conference play and returns to action Feb. 18 with a road matchup against Middle Georgia, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.