DAHLONEGA, Ga. — It was a nerve-racking ending to the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championship at the University of North Georgia Convocation Center on Monday.
After leading by 13 at halftime and seeing that lead disappear, the No. 5 University of North Georgia women's basketball team wasn't ready to see their season come to a close, rallying back and scoring with 20 seconds left on the clock to take the lead and beat Lander by a 59-57 score Monday night in the Southeast Regional Championship.
North Georgia came out with the early advantage in a back-and-forth first quarter before stretching the lead out to as many as 14 prior to halftime. Lander battled back, outscoring the Nighthawks 25-7 in the third quarter to take a five-point lead into the final quarter.
The Bearcats led nearly the entire fourth quarter, but UNG fought back, going on a 7-0 run over the last three minutes, including seeing Julianne Sutton get a put-back layup with 20 seconds left to take the lead. After hitting a pair of free throws, North Georgia had to defend a good look from three for the Bearcats at the buzzer to advance to the second Elite Eight in program history.
NOTES
-- Jamari McDavid was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after a team-high 20 points in the championship game. She averaged 19.3 points per contest in the tournament. Sutton was also named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing Monday with a third straight double-double, going for 17 points and 11 rebounds.
-- This was the fourth straight regional final that North Georgia has been in and the third straight against Lander.
-- UNG finishes the season with a home record of 18-1.
NEXT UP
North Georgia will play in the Elite Eight Monday against a team to be named after the final eight are reseeded Tuesday morning. Stay tuned to UNGAthletics.com for all of the updates as they are released.
