Lady Nighthawks outlasts No. 20 Lander

DAHLONEGA -- Stephanie Huffman posted 27 points to help lead the North Georgia women's basketball to a big win, 77-76, over No. 20 Lander in front of a homecoming crowd of 1,134 on Saturday at Memorial Hall. The Nighthawks advance to 17-4 on the year with a 9-3 mark in Peach Belt play.<br /> <br /> The Bearcats (17-4, 10-2 PBC) held the lead for the majority of the game and even claimed a double-digit advantage at least once in each half, but UNG would battle back each time. After falling behind by 10 at the 7:31 mark of the first half, the Nighthawks finished the period on a 16-5 run to pull within a point at the break.<br /> <br /> Lander came out strong again in the second half and eventually stretched their lead to as much as 12, 52-40, with 15:44 left in the game. From there North Georgia would chip away at the Bearcat lead and outscore Lander by 11 over the final 15 minutes of the game.<br /> <br /> The Bearcats pulled within a point in the final 20 seconds, but Cierra Jackson broke the full-court press and made a layup to put the Nighthawks back up by three with just seconds left. Ty'hesha Reynolds went coast-to-coast and made a layup of her own with the ball falling through the cylinder right as time expired to give UNG the one-point victory.<br /> <br /> In addition to her 27 points, Huffman added 17 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Kelsey Hutchins added 17 points for UNG, while Aarika Judge's 15 points led the Bearcat effort.<br /> <br /> The Nighthawks return to action on Wednesday hosting Young Harris on Spirit Night. Tipoff for the women's game is set for 5:30 p.m.

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