UNG men blow past Hurricanes, 72-65 in OT

AMERICUS, Ga. – Ephraim Tshimanga became just the third University of North Georgia men’s basketball player to hit 400 field goals in a career as the Nighthawks defeated Georgia Southwestern in overtime Wednesday night, 72-65.

Both teams went back-and-forth throughout the entirety of regulation with neither team leading by more than eight points at any point in the first 40 minutes. With 44 seconds left in regulation, the Hurricanes led 56-51 before UNG scored the final five points to send the game to overtime.

The Nighthawks scored first in the extra period with a Carrod Watson three pointer, giving North Georgia the lead for good. The Nighthawks started the overtime period on an 8-2 run and kept a sizable margin throughout the rest of the period.

NOTES
– Tshimanga hit his 400th career field goal with a layup early in overtime. He sits third in the career records in the stat, continuing his rewriting of the UNG career records. The senior has the career record for steals and assists while sitting in third in rebounds. He also became a member of the 1,000 point club earlier this season, the third to do so in the NCAA era.

– Tshimanga flirted with a triple-double in the game, scoring a team-high 17 points with nine boards and six assists. He also had five steals in the win.

– Three other Nighthawks finished in double figures with Zez Steeple and KJ Jenkins each scoring 16 points. Watson finished with 10.

– The win marked the first Peach Belt win in the career of head coach Dan Evans.

NEXT UP
The Nighthawks will look to continue on the winning track with a Saturday matchup against Georgia College. Tipoff in Dahlonega is set for 3:30 p.m.