GAFFNEY, S.C. – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team rallied for a comeback win in its first true road game of the season as the Nighthawks came back to defeat Limestone 87-76 in the first game of the Southeast Region Crossover. 

The Nighthawks entered the Timken Center, home of the Saints, Friday evening with a chance to move to 3-0 on the season after impressive wins over St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 1 Minnesota State in the 2024 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

In those first two games, UNG trailed for a total of 14 minutes and 28 seconds which included falling behind the defending National Champions for only 1:27. On Friday, the Nighthawks fell behind Limestone for 30:08, including the first 12:28 of the second half. 

However, in the final 11:16 UNG outscored the Saints 32-15 which included a 13-3 in the middle of the second half to reclaim a lead it would not relinquish. 

A dismal shooting first half helped Limestone get comfortable going into the break. The Nighthawks went 9-for-26 (34.6 percent) from the floor and a startling 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from downtown in the first 20 minutes. 

UNG's leading scorer at halftime was junior guard AJ White who posted 10 points despite shooting 2-for-6 from the floor. White got to the free throw line seven times and converted six to keep the deficit close as the Nighthawks entered the locker room trailing 42-37.

Limestone bolted out of its own locker room to start the second frame, opening up its largest lead of the night at 10 points thanks to a 12-7 scoring run out of the half. With 15:46 remaining, the Nighthawks were down 54-44 and reeling after back-to-back Saints triples gave the opposition all the momentum.

Head coach Dan Evans calmed the hostile environment with a timeout. From there, the Nighthawks slowly began chipping away at the lead. After Evans' timeout, Limestone scored just once over the next nearly five minutes.

When the Saints finally did get back on the board after a layup and two free throws, it would be their last points before UNG's timely run.

White got back to the line again and sank a pair of free throws, making it a one-possession game at 61-58. Junior center Colin Turner poked a steal on the next possession, leading to a fastbreak pull-up for White to make it a one point game.

Then, senior guard Sutton Smith responded to a Limestone bucket with a game-tying three pointer with 9:16 to go. This bucket would spark the fire that UNG's offense caught down the stretch.

On the next time down, senior guard Hunter Shedenhelm buried a three just five seconds after checking back into the game. 

Junior guard Cayden Charles drew a foul in transition and made both foul shots before freshman forward Zack Hawkinson grabbed a rebound and scored on back-to-back possessions for UNG. Suddenly, with 6:44 left, the Nighthawks led 72-68 and were building momentum one score at a time.

Shedenhelm drilled another three a minute later. He would finish with a UNG career-high 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting from downtown in the victory. Friday marked Shedenhelm's first 20-point game since transferring to Dahlonega back in 2022. Shedenhelm joined White and Blake McIntyre as the only players in the last five years to make six or more threes in a game for UNG. 

The lead grew to double-digits for the first time after sophomore guard Chase Champion made two free throws and Shedenhelm canned yet another triple. 

With 4:08 left to play, the Nighthawks led 80-68 and left the Saints fans in attendance shell shocked after a 17-4 run in just 4:29. 

UNG would close out the game down the stretch with Shedenhelm fittingly hitting one more three for good measure. 

White finished the game with 18 points, going 12-for-15 from the free throw line. The performance marked the third time in White's career in which he made 12 or more free throws in a game.

Charles followed in the scoring column with 17 points and five rebounds with an impressive outing of his own at the charity stripe going 9-for-12. 

Both White and Charles have recorded double-digit scoring performances in all three games this season. They lead the Nighthawks in scoring at 19 and 18.3 points per game respectively.

Senior guard Sutton Smith added 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting while chipping in five assists. 12 points is the most in a game for Smith since Dec. 12, 2022 in his first season in Dahlonega after transferring from Alabama-Huntsville. 

Freshman forward Zack Hawkinson recorded a game-high 12 rebounds, posting double-digit rebounds for the second time in three career collegiate games. The Springfield, Ill. native is averaging 9.7 points and 11 rebounds through the first three games this season. 

With the win UNG is 3-0 to start the year for the third consecutive season and fourth time since Evans took over in 2019. 

The Nighthawks will close out the Southeast Region Crossover Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. when they face regional rival Young Harris from the Timken Center.