AUGUSTA, Ga. – In the final road game of the regular season, Averie Jones scored 11 points in the fourth quarter to send the University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team home with a 76-65 win over Augusta on Wednesday night.
The Nighthawks came out of the gates running against Augusta, getting up and down the floor for multiple transition opportunities. Half of North Georgia's points in the first period came on the fast break, as UNG finished the quarter with a 22-12 lead.
North Georgia continued to outrun the Jaguars in the second quarter, extending its advantage to 15 with a pull-up jumper from Jones with 3:55 remaining.
The Jaguars started to cut into UNG's lead with a 9-0 run to bring the score within six. A 5-0 run highlighted by tough transition layups from Zaynah Preston and Jones swung the momentum back in the Nighthawks' favor, as they headed into halftime up 38-27.
Timely three-point shooting from Hannah Cail and Jones kept North Georgia out in front in the third. The Jaguars were able to bring the game within single-digits, but UNG still closed out the quarter with an eight-point lead.
Augusta gave the Nighthawks some trouble in the fourth quarter, making it a one-point game with 6:16 remaining.
With the Jaguars in striking distance, Jones came up in the clutch, scoring 11 points in the final six minutes to put Augusta away. Back-to-back buckets from Cail in the final two minutes put North Georgia back up double-digits and sealed the win for the Nighthawks.
Jones led the Nighthawks with 22 points and four assists. Preston followed Jones with 17 points, scoring in double figures for the third-consecutive game. Cail chipped in 13 points while shooting a perfect 3-3 from three-point range in the win.
North Georgia improves to 18-11 overall and 13-6 in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play.
Quinasia Abercrombie led the Jaguars (18-9, 13-7 PBC) with 24 points.
The Nighthawks will wrap up the regular season at home on Senior Day with a matchup against USC Beaufort. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28 at Lynn Cottrell Arena inside the UNG Convocation Center.
