MORROW, Ga. – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team escaped with a 76-73 in its Peach Belt Conference opener on the road at Clayton State in Morrow, Ga. Saturday night. 

UNG is now 8-1 in the regular season after avoiding a last ditch comeback effort from the Lakers. 

The Nighthawks were led by freshman forward Zack Hawkinson who had a huge game. The Springfield, Ill. native posted his third consecutive double-double with a career-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. 

Hawkinson was 7-for-12 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 at the free throw line. Also shooting 100 hundred percent at the line in UNG's last game at Francis Marion, Hawkinson has now made 15 consecutive free throws over the last three games for UNG. In the last four games he's gone a combined 18-for-19 (94.7 percent) at the stripe. He is 25-for-32 (78.1 percent) from the line as a whole this season. 

Hawkinson's 22 points not only marked a career high but also indicated his fourth double figure game this year. He's reached double-digit rebounding five separate times after grabbing 11 on Saturday. He entered Saturday's PBC opener with 70 total rebounds on the season which ranked No. 29 in NCAA Division II and No. 2 in the league. He's averaging 11.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season to rank third on the team in scoring and first in rebounding.

Junior guard Cayden Charles also had a big scoring night for UNG as he posted a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting while adding nine rebounds, dishing two assists and forcing a block and a steal on defense. 

In the first half, the Nighthawks held an early advantage over the Lakers, leading by as many as 13 points at 19-6 with 11:55 remaining in the half.

However, Clayton State bounced back and closed out the half by out-scoring UNG 27-16 to trail 35-33 at the break.

The Lakers had a startling 20 bench points in the first half compared to the Nighthawks' four points from non-starters. 

Despite the prolific scoring from the bench, starting Clayton State guard Aaron Pitts led the way for the Lakers in the first half with 10 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes.

In the second half, Clayton State continued to keep the game close with continued production from the bench, at the free throw line and in transition against UNG. Despite the Lakers keeping the game close, the Nighthawks held Pitts in check in the second half as he had just six points and one rebound in the final 20 minutes of the game.

The two teams essentially traded baskets for the entirety of the second half as Clayton State hung around trailing by anywhere from three to six points continuously. The Lakers briefly took their only lead of the game early in the half after a three-pointer from Jamall Clyce to make it 38-37 with 18:04 left to play. Less than two minutes later, UNG would reclaim the lead at 42-40 with a three of its own from sophomore guard Chase Champion. The Nighthawks would not give the lead back the rest of the game. 

As possessions changed and the point total continued to grow in the game, so did the foul count for both teams. The Nighthawks and Lakers combined to commit 47 fouls in the game Saturday. UNG had four or more players commit three or more fouls as the team was called for a season high 22 personal penalties. For Clayton State, it had five players commit three or more fouls which included two Lakers being disqualified for five personal fouls contributing to Clayton State's team total of 25. The 47 combined fouls is also the most in a game for the Nighthawks this season.

All the whistles would prove to be quintessential as the game tightened down the stretch. With 1:05 to go, Hawkinson converted on a layup to give UNG a 70-66 advantage. It would be the last made field goal for either team in the game. 

The Lakers responded with three free throws on the next possession as DJ Wright was fouled while shooting from deep range. Trailing by one with under a minute to play, Clayton State began intentionally fouling. 

The good news for the Nighthawks is that they've been one of the highest volume free throw shooting teams in the country for the last two years. UNG entered the game averaging 26 free throw attempts per game with an average of 19.1 makes. Both numbers were in the top 20 among NCAA Division II prior to Saturday's contest. 

The Nighthawks went 6-for-6 at the stripe in the final 41 seconds of the game to keep the Lakers out of reach and seal the win. UNG totaled a 24-for-35 mark at the charity stripe in the game, converting on the third-most free throws in nine games this season. 

The Nighthawks' top three scorers (Charles, Hawkinson and sophomore center Colin Turner who had 10 points) combined to go 17-for-20 at the free throw line in the victory.

At 8-1, UNG returns home to Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center for its next game on Wednesday, Dec. 11 against Toccoa Falls. The Nighthawks will welcome an abundance of young fans for LCCS 5th Grader's Day Out as they take on the Screaming Eagles at 12 p.m.