GREENWOOD – The University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team erased a double-digit deficit in a huge comeback win over Lander 76-72 on Saturday afternoon at Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C.
The win marked North Georgia's first road victory at Lander since Feb. 21, 2018. It also serves as head coach Dan Evan's first road win against the Bearcats since he's been at the helm of North Georgia's men's basketball program.
Jameel Rideout cracked open the scoring for the Nighthawks with a three-pointer just over two minutes into the game. Defense was the standout in the first 20 minutes as both teams only mustered 14 points each with 10:40 remaining in the first half.
A three from Ja'mari Arnold broke the tie to give North Georgia the lead, but Lander started to double down on defense. The Bearcats held the Nighthawks to just five points in the final five minutes of the first half and headed into the locker room with a 35-25 lead.
A three from AJ White less than a minute into the second half cut Lander's lead to single digits. The Bearcats kept responding to North Georgia's offense with baskets of their own. Free throws from Greyson Pritzl put the Bearcats up 12 with 13:48 remaining.
It was at this point that the Nighthawks kicked it into second gear. A quick 5-0 run from Arnold and White brought UNG back within seven, and the Nighthawks continued to chip away at the deficit.
Lander at multiple points pushed its lead back up to nine, but North Georgia continued to fight. With 3:39 remaining, Rideout started a personal 6-0 run to give UNG the lead. A layup from Jake Tringone would tie the game up 30 seconds later, but those would be the last points the Bearcats would score. A dunk from Colin Turner with 1:29 remaining put North Georgia in front for good, and the Nighthawks locked in defensively to come away with the win.
White paced North Georgia with 24 points and a perfect 12-12 performance from the free-throw line. White has now logged four games this year with at least 24 points and 10 made free throws; two of such games have come in the last four days. Zack Hawkinson and Rideout chipped in 14 points each in the win.
With the win, North Georgia improves to 14-6 overall and 8-6 in PBC (Peach Belt Conference) play. The Nighthawks have erased 10-point halftime deficits in two of their last three games to extend their win streak to three.
The Bearcats (15-5 overall, 10-3 PBC) were led by Terry Leonard Jr. And Pritzl with 15 points each. With the loss, Lander has currently surrendered its ranking atop the PBC men's basketball standings to USC Beaufort.
North Georgia will look to build off its momentum in a road matchup at Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Storm Dome in Americus, Ga.
