Friday March 29th, 2024 7:48AM

No. 24 UNG women's basketball downs Lander to win PBC Tournament

By AccessWDUN Staff

DAHLONEGA — Deana Blankinship shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the field as the No. 24 University of North Georgia women's basketball team clinched a berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, 76-60, Sunday afternoon in the UNG Convocation Center.

North Georgia never trailed in the contest and the game was only tied once at 14-14. After the Bearcats tied it up, the Nighthawks went on a 9-0 run to recapture the lead for good.

UNG stretched its lead to as many as 22 in the third quarter, but Lander didn't go quietly, cutting the lead to nine with 1:07 left in the third. A layup by Julianne Sutton on the next North Georgia possession pushed the lead back to double digits, where it stayed for the remainder of the contest.

NOTES
- This is the first conference tournament championship for UNG since the NAIA era. The Nighthawks played for the PBC Championship in 2013, but lost to Clayton State in the championship game.

- Blankinship ended the game with 26 points and eight rebounds. Sutton, Abbie Franklin and Julie McKie each finished with 11 points.

- McKie was named the MVP of the tournament, while Sutton was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will await the NCAA Selection Committee to see who and where they will play in the Southeast Regional. The selection show is tonight at 10 p.m. and can be viewed on NCAA.com.

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