Greenwood, S.C. – After three hard-fought games, the University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team fell to top-seeded Lander 64-54 in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon.
The Nighthawks overcame a lot of adversity on their path to the conference championship. After a four-game losing skid in January, the Nighthawks responded by rattling off an 11-game winning streak heading into today. Along the way, North Georgia overcame multiple halftime deficits and late-game obstacles to earn a spot in the title matchup against Lander.
The Bearcats struck first, building an early 9-0 lead through the first three and a half minutes. After a North Georgia timeout, Colin Turner and Chase Champion put the Nighthawks on the board to give UNG some life.
Lander kept its foot on the gas to stay in front by 10 at the next media timeout. A 17-4 run from the Bearcats extended the first-half advantage to 21 with 3:35 left.
Five-unanswered points from JoJo Peterson and Turner gave the Nighthawks a much-needed momentum boost. North Georgia closed the first half with an 8-2 run and headed into the locker room trailing 41-24.
The Nighthawks carried their momentum into the opening minutes of the second period, using balanced scoring from Turner, Zack Hawkinson and Jameel Rideout to chip away at the Bearcats.
By the 13:26 mark, Lander had extended their lead past 20 once again.
The Nighthawks would not go down without a fight. A 12-2 run capped off by a Turner hook shot trimmed the Bearcat advantage down to 11 with 7:42 remaining.
North Georgia continued to battle. Back-to-back buckets from AJ Baskerville cut the lead to single digits, bringing the Nighthawks within six.
The Bearcats answered, stringing together four-straight trips to the free-throw line to take the momentum back. Despite a valiant effort from the Nighthawks in the second half, nearly overcoming a 23-point deficit, Lander maintained its double-digit lead until time expired to clinch the tournament championship.
Turner led the way for North Georgia in the championship game with 12 points and six rebounds on his way to a PBC All-Tournament Team selection. Hawkinson and Champion were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Jacob Daniels and Bobby Crawford Jr. paced the Bearcats (25-5, 18-3 PBC) with 14 points each.
With a 22-7 overall record (14-7 PBC) and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament under their belt, the Nighthawks have their eyes set on the NCAA Tournament, which starts on Saturday, Mar. 14. The selection show announcement for region host sites, seeding and game times will take place tonight at 11 p.m.
