#25 Men’s Basketball falls in region semis at #14 North Georgia

Dahlonega, Ga. —- The 25th-ranked and 4th-seeded Catawba College men's basketball team saw their season come to a close on Sunday night, falling 86-70 at 14th-ranked and top-seeded North Georgia at Lynn Cottrell Arena in NCAA Tournament Second Round action.

TEAM STATISTICS

- North Georgia shot 29-for-49 (59 percent) from the field, while Catawba went 26-of-62 (42 percent) from the floor

- The Nighthawks were 4-of-9 (44 percent) from three-point range, while holding the Catawba Indians to 5-for-25 (20 percent) from deep

- UNG was 24-for-32 (75 percent) from the free throw line; Catawba was 13-of-19 (68 percent) at the charity stripe

- North Georgia out-rebounded Catawba 39-23 and held a slim 8-7 advantage in second-chance points

- The Nighthawks recorded 20 assists to 19 turnovers, while the Catawba Indians recorded seven assists to 14 turnovers; Catawba held a 22-12 edge in points off turnovers

- UNG led in points in the paint (46-32) and fastbreak points (18-12); both teams scored 22 points off the bench

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

- Peyton Gerald scored a team-high 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting with three steals

- Kris Robinson added 12 points on three three-pointers

- DeAngelo Epps was the third Catawba Indian in double figures with 10

- Javeon Jones chipped in nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals

- Dre Nelson recorded eight points and six rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench

HOW IT HAPPENED

FIRST HALF

- Catawba scored the game's first five points in the opening two minutes

- Six unanswered points allowed North Georgia to pull ahead 8-7 at the 14:48 mark

- Nelson's and-one gave Catawba a 25-22 advantage as the teams struggled to find any separation

- The Nighthawks responded with a 7-0 run to take a four-point lead at the 4:38 mark

- Two layups from Justin Banks capped seven unanswered points from Catawba, taking a 32-29 lead with under three to play in the half

- UNG once again answered, this time with a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead

- North Georgia led 41-35 at the halftime break

SECOND HALF

- The teams traded baskets until a Cayden Charles and-one and a Frank Champion bucket put the Nighthawks up 10

- UNG pushed the lead to 14 on AJ White's layup at the 6:15 mark

- The hosts' lead never dipped below double digits from there