DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league Tuesday.

With seven first-place votes, Augusta was selected as the preseason favorite, followed by North Georgia. Columbus State rounded out the top three.

Last season, the Nighthawks finished tied for third with Augusta in the conference standings, with both teams posting 13-7 records in league play. After the teams split their two meetings during the regular season, the decision went to a tiebreaker. Because North Georgia also split its two games against top-seeded Columbus State, while Augusta lost both meetings, the Nighthawks earned the No. 3 seed heading into the PBC Tournament.

North Georgia capped its 2025-26 season with a loss in the PBC Tournament semifinals, finishing the year with a 19-13 overall record.

The Nighthawks also earned two selections to the preseason All-Conference team in Averie Jones and Zaynah Preston.

In her sophomore campaign, Jones started all 31 games she played in, logging more than 1,000 minutes. She recorded 542 points, the most in the conference, and made 88 3-pointers. Her 17.5 points per game led the team and ranked second in the conference.

Preston started all 26 games she played in during the 2025-26 season. She averaged 11.6 points per game and recorded 97 assists. Her 301 points ranked third on the team, while her .850 free-throw percentage ranked second on the squad.

The Nighthawks open the 2026-27 season Monday, Nov. 9, against Albany State at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.