PEMBROKE, N.C. — After a very promising first half performance, the North Georgia men's basketball team struggled out of the gate in the second half and the Nighthawks' late comeback effort fell just short as UNC Pembroke downed UNG, 87-83, to advance to the semifinals of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Nighthawks finish the 2016-2017 season with a 15-14 record, after a worst-to-first improvement in the PBC finishing with a share of the Western Division title for the first time in school history after finishing last in the division just a year ago.
North Georgia looked sharp in the first half shooting 46 percent from the field. UNG built a solid lead about 10 minutes into the game with their largest lead coming at the 8:10 mark of the opening period as a Tyler Dominy slam dunk put UNG up by 13. The Braves chipped away at that lead though as the Nighthawks would only take a one point advantage into the half.
The two teams were tied after the first media timeout in the second half, but coming out of that break UNCP went on a 21-3 run over the next seven minutes to take a 69-51 advantage at the 8:51 mark. The Nighthawks refused to go away quietly however, working their way back to within one possession just after the clock had ticked under two minutes. UNG had a chance to close the gap to just one but a missed layup proved to be costly. The Braves made their free throws in the final minute to close out the game with the four-point victory.
NOTES
- Denzell Hosch led the UNG scoring effort with 24 points. Tyler Dominy was not far behind with 20 points, a career-high for the junior.
- The loss is the fourth straight in the all-time series against UNC Pembroke. The Nighthawks still hold a slim 9-8 advantage in the series.
- While UNG is eligible for selection to the NCAA DII Tournament, the Nighthawks are not ranked in the NCAA Region Rankings and are not expected to receive an at-large selection to the tournament.
