The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team earned the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) tournament championship March 9. Later that night, the Nighthawks were announced as the No. 1 seed and host of the eight-team NCAA Division II Southeast Regional from March 14-17 at the Convocation Center in Dahlonega, Georgia.

"Hosting is a big deal. It means we navigated through a tough strength of schedule and had success," head coach Buffie Burson said. "We believe we have a beautiful venue that teams will enjoy playing in, but most importantly it's our home, where our fans are very passionate and loyal."

Burson's team tips off the NCAA regional at 5 p.m. March 14 against No. 8 seed UNC Pembroke.

Tickets are available on the Southeast Regional website. The cost is $10, with $7 tickets for senior citizens (65 and older) and military members. The first 500 students, faculty and staff will receive complimentary admission courtesy of the North Georgia Athletic Fund Board of Directors by using their personalized UNG Connect QR code in the Campus Groups app, and children 10 and under also receive free admission.

Should they win their NCAA tournament opener, the Nighthawks (29-2) would face the winner between No. 4 seed Francis Marion University and No. 5 seed Columbus State University in a 7:30 p.m. March 15 regional semifinal. Other teams in the regional include No. 2 seed Coker University, No. 3 seed Anderson University, No. 6 seed Carson-Newman University, and No. 7 seed Belmont Abbey College.

"What makes our team dangerous is we have so many people who are capable of scoring big numbers. You can't just try to lock down one player in order to beat us," senior guard Ansley Hall said. "We have so much talent and heart on this team that if someone is off that day, there's somebody else stepping up to make an impact in the game."

Graduate guard Caroline Martin said the team's determination and toughness always shine through.

"We approach every game, practice and shootaround with a mindset to give 110%, knowing that every moment on the court counts. We understand that March is our last opportunity to play together as a team, and that fuels us to push beyond our limits," Martin said. "With this in mind, we are more focused than ever, leaving everything on the floor and giving our all on every play. We're prepared to give everything we've got to finish strong, knowing that this is the moment we've worked for all season."

The winner of the 7 p.m. March 17 Southeast Regional championship game advances to the March 24-28 Elite Eight at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Our team has remained unbothered by distractions, adversity and, most importantly, success throughout the entire season," Burson said. "I think we are having fun, which is important. However, knowing what we want and being willing to put in the work for it consistently has shown to be more important in our success."

Graduate forward Emily Trushel tallied 26 points and six rebounds in UNG's 81-72 PBC championship game victory against Georgia Southwestern University, with freshman guard Averie Jones adding 20 points and four rebounds and Hall contributing 12 points and nine assists.

"Offensively and defensively, when we play together, great things happen. We swing the ball to the open girl, and we knock down shots," Trushel said. "On the other end, when we move as a unit on defense and have each other’s backs, it leads to a lot of stops and transition opportunities. I think our chemistry has just continued to grow more and more throughout this whole season."

The title game win came after the Nighthawks set a PBC tournament record for fewest points allowed in a 63-22 semifinal victory March 8 against Georgia College & State University, avenging a 51-43 home loss to the Bobcats on Feb. 5. UNG won its PBC tournament opener against Clayton State University by a 79-71 score March 5. The Nighthawks played all three PBC tournament games in Dahlonega as the regular-season champion with a 16-2 conference record.

Martin earned PBC Player of the Year honors, with Burson earning PBC Coach of the Year recognition. Trushel joined Martin on All-PBC first team, with Hall collecting third team All-PBC honors. Trushel, Martin and Jones made the PBC all-tournament team.

The UNG men's basketball team scored a 77-68 upset of PBC No. 3 seed Augusta University in the conference quarterfinals March 5 behind a career-high 38 points from junior guard AJ White.

Then, the No. 6 seed Nighthawks fell 92-88 in overtime against No. 2 seed USC Aiken in the PBC semifinals in Columbus, Georgia. White added another 27 points in that contest, with fellow junior guard Cayden Charles adding 24.

White also earned second-team All-PBC honors and now sits second in UNG's NCAA Division II history with 1,549 points.

The UNG men's basketball team finished the season with an 18-14 record.