DAHLONEGA – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season in a 76-67 defeat at the hands of UVA Wise at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center Saturday afternoon.

The loss drops UNG to 5-1 on the season after starting 5-0 for the first time since 1985. 

It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Cavaliers in UNG's first loss of the season. The Nighthawks had one scorer reach double figures as junior big man Colin Turner tied a career-high with 30 points in the loss.

Turner led UNG with nine rebounds as well, going 13-for-17 from the floor and 2-for-2 from downtown as the 6-foot-9 forward cashed in on the first three-pointers of his career.

From the jump, UVA Wise bolstered an early lead as the Nighthawks were forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game. 

UNG trailed by double digits for the first time in the game at the 2:43 mark in the first half after a three-pointer from Cavalier forward Lav Cvetkovic'. The Nighthawks were able to push the game to a manageable nine-point deficit at 39-30 before the end of the first half. 

In the second half, the Nighthawks were blitzed by the Cavs as UVA Wise jumped out to a 14-point lead behind a 9-2 run to start the second stanza.

The Cavs' lead would grow to as many as 21 points after a 5-minute and 48-second scoring drought from the Nighthawks. 

However, UNG would not go quietly. The Nighthawks broke their scoring spell with an 8-0 run, capped off by a big three-pointer from senior guard Hunter Shedenhelm to make it 55-42 with 10:25 to play. 

After gaining momentum and trailing just 65-53 with 4:29 to go, a critical call from the official's swung the momentum back in UVA Wise's favor. 

A three-pointer from junior guard AJ White opened the door for UNG to apply full court pressure to the Cavs. The Nighthawks forced a turnover on the ensuing possession and had a 2-on-1 advantage in the fastbreak looking to cut into the deficit even more. However, sophomore guard Chase Champion was called for an inexplicable offensive foul, nixing the UNG bucket. 

Still, UNG would eventually cut the lead to single digits with 2:24 to go. Trailing 67-58, the Nighthawks had an opportunity to continue the comeback effort, but a late foul on the next defensive possession allowed the Cavs to pad their lead at the free throw line. 

Shedenhelm would convert on his second three-pointer of the game on the next possession, making it an eight-point game with 1:49 remaining. UNG earned even more momentum after forcing a turnover on the next possession. 

The Nighthawks had the ball, trailing by eight, with 1:36 to go, but promptly turned it over on the following offensive possession. The turnover led to a bucket from UVA Wise's Bradley Dean, giving the Cavs a 71-61 advantage with 57 seconds remaining, effectively ending the game.

Turner would hit a pair of three-pointers in the final minute to keep things interesting but it was ultimately not enough to spark a comeback. 

Now the Nighthawks will get ready for a midweek showdown with Converse. The game tips off at Lynn Cottrell Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m as UNG will host the Valkyries for Ross Morkem Memorial Night.