GREENWOOD – The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team picked up its third win in a row with a 79-57 road-victory over Lander on Saturday afternoon at Finis Horne Arena in Greenwood, S.C. 

The Nighthawks and Bearcats traded buckets to open the ballgame, as the Nighthawks lead by two heading into the first media timeout. UNG started to find a rhythm, as Zaynah Preston finished the first quarter with nine points to give the Nighthawks a 21-11 lead. 

UNG continued to build upon its double-digit lead in the second quarter. Timely three-point shooting from Averie Jones, Hannah Cail, and Preston kept pushing North Georgia ahead, and a jumper from Kendall Emener would extend UNG's lead to 20 with 56 seconds remaining in the first half. The Nighthawks headed into halftime leading 37-18. 

After the break, the Nighthawk offense picked up right where it left off in the first half. Ava McGlockton's layup with 9:36 left in the third quarter put North Georgia back up by 20. From that point forward, North Georgia maintained a 20-plus point lead for the rest of the game. 

With a 22-point lead in the third quarter, Head Coach Buffie Burson subbed in Caroline Martin with 1:58 left in the period. Martin, who has been dealing with an injury that has kept her sidelined for the last two months, got to sub in for the second consecutive game. In Wednesday's win over USC Aiken, Martin played the final two minutes but did not get a shot to fall. Today, she came through. 

In the fourth quarter with 1:35 remaining, Martin received the ball in the far corner, took a few steps back to the left wing and did what she does best. Martin knocked down the three-pointer, right in front of the Nighthawk bench erupting with excitement. She chipped in the final of 12 total threes for North Georgia in the win, as she inches even closer to 2,000 career points. 

Preston and Jones led the way for UNG with 16 points each. North Georgia improves to 15-9 overall and 8-3 in Peach Belt Conference (PBC) play. 

The Bearcats were paced by Lauren Crosland with 16 points. Lander falls to 7-13 overall and 5-8 in conference play. 

North Georgia will wrap up its two-game road stand at Georgia Southwestern on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Storm Dome in Americus, Ga.