SCORE

North Georgia 83, Montevallo 82

RECORDS

Montevallo (17-8 overall, 11-7 in Peach Belt Conference)

North Georgia (15-11 overall, 11-6 in Peach Belt Conference)

LOCATION

Memorial Hall (Dahlonega, Georgia)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Montevallo freshman Micah Fuller missed a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer in the final five seconds of regulation as North Georgia kept the Falcons from claiming a share of the Peach Belt Conference West Division title in a 83-82 setback on the road.

The Nighthawks used a 12-0 run late in the second half to erase a six-point Montevallo lead as North Georgia remained in the hunt for the West Division championship.

North Georgia raced out to a 9-1 lead in the first two minutes of the game after Tyler Dominy drained a 3-pointer with 18:16 remaining in the first half.

The Falcons fought their way back into the game and took their first lead on a pair of free throws by senior Talan Whitaker with 14:14 left in the opening half.

Montevallo led by as many as eight points late in the first half following a 3-pointer by senior Kevin Kelly, which gave the Falcons a 29-21 advantage, before carrying a 43-40 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The two teams were locked in a heated battle for the first 12 minutes of the second half before the Falcons were able to turn a 5-0 run into a 72-66 lead with 8:03 remaining in the game following a 3-pointer by Kelly and a pair of free throws by senior Tazz Marbury.

However, the Nighthawks came storming back with a 12-0 run of their own and took a 78-72 lead on a 3-pointer by Denzell Hosch with 2:53 left in the second half.

Montevallo managed to make it a one-possession game down the stretch, but couldn't manage to take the lead. A missed 3-pointer by senior Javonte Douglas with eight seconds remaining preceded the missed free throws and 3-point attempt at the buzzer by Fuller.

STAT OF THE GAME

The Falcons and the Nighthawks shot an even 50 percent from the floor, but North Georgia shot 51.9 percent from beyond the arc compared to 33.3 percent shooting from 3-point range by Montevallo. The Nighthawks' 14-of-27 made 3-pointers compared to the Falcons' 5-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc made the disparity too much to overcome.

UP NEXT

The Falcons will travel to Morrow, Georgia to take on Clayton State University in their final game of the regular season Wednesday, February 22. Montevallo defeated the Lakers 98-69 in the first meeting between the two teams this season. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Central.