Men’s basketball falls to Columbus State, 78-71

PRESS RELEASE

DAHLONEGA – After leading at halftime, the University of North Georgia men’s basketball team saw Columbus State score 46 second half points on their way to a 78-71 win Saturday afternoon.

North Georgia used three first half dunks by Greg Billups, Jr., Malik Hardy and Eric Jones to seize momentum in the first half, taking a 39-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. UNG got another big dunk from Jones early in the second half, but the Cougars went on a 19-4 run from the under-16 to the under-12 media timeouts to take over.

The Cougars did just enough down the stretch to hang on and earn the Peach Belt win.

NOTES
– Frank Champion scored a game high 29 points, while Hardy added 14 to be the only two Nighthawks in double figures.
– The Nighthawks shot nearly 63 percent from the floor in the first half before a 33 percent shooting effort in the second half.
– North Georgia held a 38-18 advantage in the paint.

NEXT UP
UNG will look to get back in the win column on Wednesday when they travel to Young Harris for a 7:30 p.m. Battle of Blood Mountain matchup.