DAHLONEGA – AJ White and Colin Turner combined for 47 points on Senior Night in the University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team's 89-78 win over USC Beaufort (USCB) at Lynn Cottrell Arena inside the UNG Convocation Center on Saturday night.
After the Sand Sharks established the first lead of the game, Turner got to work in the paint, converting on multiple tough baskets down low to help North Georgia capture the momentum.
The Nighthawks also made the most of their trips to the free throw line, shooting a perfect 14-14 from the charity stripe in the first 16 minutes.
With the score knotted at 38-38, Zack Hawkinson took over, scoring seven points over the final 2:23 of the first half to send North Georgia into halftime with a two-point lead.
Coming out of halftime, back-to-back threes from the Sand Sharks saw them retake the lead in the opening minutes of the period. Shortly after the USCB run, the Sand Shark's bench was assessed a technical foul, and the Nighthawks were able to shift the momentum back in their favor with a free throw from White and a quick three to follow from Chase Champion.
From that point on, the Nighthawks were able to maintain their lead for the rest of the game. While the Sand Sharks tried to keep it a one-possession game, three-straight free throws from Turner pushed North Georgia's advantage to double digits with 7:15 remaining.
White kept the game out of reach for the Sand Sharks, scoring 11 points over the final seven minutes to close out the game for the Nighthawks.
The senior-duo of Turner and White led the way for North Georgia. Turner scored a season-high 27 points while pulling down six rebounds, and White chipped in 20 points and a pair of threes in the win.
The Sand Sharks (19-9, 13-7 PBC) were paced by Hudson Norton with 18 points.
North Georgia (20-6, 14-6 PBC) wraps up the regular season as the hottest team in the PBC, winning nine-straight games heading into the 2026 Peach Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament. The Nighthawks have secured a top-four seed in this year's tournament and will host their quarterfinal game on Mar. 4 at Lynn Cottrell Arena inside the UNG Convocation Center. Opponent and tipoff time will be announced by the league on a later date.
