Smith lights up perimeter as Nighthawks beat Francis Marion, 72-68

DAHLONGEA -- "Ebo with the threebo" rang out a total of six times on the day as the University of North Georgia men's basketball team took down Francis Marion (9-9, 1-8 Peach Belt), 72-68, Monday afternoon at Memorial Hall. The Nighthawks advance to 12-4 on the year, with a 6-3 mark in the PBC with the win.<br /> <br /> The first 10 minutes of the game were evenly matched, with the score knotted at 12-12. That's when the Nighthawks went on a 15-4 run that would span the next 6:20 and give UNG a 27-16 lead. Just minutes later North Georgia would go on a 9-0 run to extend their lead to 36-18 just before halftime.<br /> <br /> Coming out of the break it looked like the Nighthawks were going to pull away, extending their lead to 20 with 16:23 remaining in the game, 48-28, after a Sean Brennan three.<br /> <br /> Francis Marion would scratch their way back though, as a Detrek Browning layup pulled the Patriots within a bucket, 59-57, at the 5:46 mark of the second half.<br /> <br /> The game would remain close in the final minutes, but UNG would never surrender the lead.<br /> <br /> Ebo Smith, a North Hall graduate, led North Georgia in scoring with 21 points, all from the three-point line. Corey Green was the team's leader in rebounds with 13 and also posted 10 points for his second double-double of the year.<br /> <br /> The Nighthawks close out the home stretch on Saturday, hosting Clayton State. Tipoff for the men's game is set for 3:30 p.m. Former North Georgia coach and NAIA Hall of Famer Bill Ensley will be recognized with the dedication of the Memorial Hall court being named in his honor at halftime of the women's game.