(DAHLONEGA )– The No. 14 University of North Georgia men’s basketball team advanced to the 2024 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional finals after an 86-70 win over No. 25 Catawba Sunday night. A fruitful home crowd inside Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center rejoiced as the Nighthawks pulled away with the win in the second half.
For the second game in a row, sophomore point guard AJ White led UNG in its scoring efforts. White posted a game-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. White also added five assists and two steals to his stat line.
All season long Catawba’s aggressive defensive play style has led to many committed fouls by the Indians. They entered Sunday’s showdown ranking No. 281 out of 286 teams in fouls committed per game at 21.1 each night. On Sunday, Catawba committed 22 fouls leading to 32 Nighthawk free throw attempts, 24 of which they made.
Joining White in his scoring outburst was sophomore guard forward Cayden Charles who matched White’s proficiency. Charles recorded a career-high 22 points while going 8-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-7 at the stripe while adding seven rebounds on the glass.
In a battle of two extremely physical teams, the rebounding numbers tell a large story in relation to which team was more physical. UNG out-rebounded the Indians 39 to 23 and had four different players snag seven boards in the game.
Along with Charles was junior forward Giancarlo Bastianoni. Two of his seven rebounds came on the offensive glass as he chipped in 16 points on that end of the floor.
Junior forward Frank Champion also had a good rebounding night for the second game in a row. He grabbed seven rebounds as well, while also scoring 13 points and dishing out a game-high six assists.
Finally, it was junior forward Greg Billups, Jr. who contributed another seven boards for the Nighthawks. Billups, Jr. was visibly in pain all night long. As he played through it, he got banged around multiple times while fighting for possession. Through it all he was able to play 31 minutes and help lead his team to the victory.
After the game, Billups, Jr. said it was, “really just a will to win,” that kept him in the game.
“I want to do what I can to help my team while I’m out there. That’s the only way I can do it,” said Billups, Jr. “We’re making a great run right now and I want to be a part of it as much as I can. So, I have that in the back of my head and I just keep it pushing.”
In the first half on Sunday, it appeared that taking down fourth-seeded Catawba was going to be no easy task for head coach Dan Evans‘ team. The Indian’s constant full-court pressure slowed UNG’s efficient offense in the opening of the game. However, a relentless effort on both sides of the ball paid off as the Nighthawks went on a run to close out the half.
After trailing by three with just under three minutes remaining, UNG went on a 12-3 run to close out the frame. The spark was highlighted by back-to-back three-pointers from White and senior guard Hunter Shedenhelm. The Nighthawks went to the locker room leading 41-35.
Early in the second half, both teams jockeyed for rhythm on offense. The two teams traded buckets as neither was able to spark a run that would change the complexion of the game.
Instead, the Nighthawks consistently broke Catawba’s pressure without too many costly turnovers. UNG did surrender 22 points off turnovers in the win, but dominated in the paint with 46 points, out-scoring Catawba by 14 in the lane.
With the win, the Nighthawks have advanced to the Southeast Regional Championship for the first time in program history. A familiar foe stands in the way between UNG and a trip to Evansville, Ind. for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships.
Sixth-seeded Lander defeated seventh-seeded Emmanuel in the other semifinal matchup in the bracket. The Bearcats took down the Lions 86-78 in overtime Sunday.
The two Peach Belt rivals will square off on Tuesday, Mar. 19 at 7:00 p.m. from the Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center.
