DAHLONEGA -- No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball freshman forward Zack Hawkinson has been named as the Chick-fil-A Nighthawk of the Week after his performance in UNG's Peach Belt Conference opener on Saturday.

Hawkinson had a big night in the Nighthawks' 76-73 road win to open PBC play over Clayton State Saturday. 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.

Hawkinson's 22 points not only marked a career high but also indicated his fourth double figure scoring game this year. He's reached double-digit rebounding five separate times after grabbing 11 on Saturday.

The freshman big man now has 81 total rebounds this season which ranks No. 23 in NCAA Division II and No. 2 in the PBC. His 9.0 rebounds per game and 6.7 defensive rebounds per game each lead the Nighthawks and rank top 30 in the nation and top 3 in the conference. 

Hawkinson and company return home to Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center this week as UNG prepares to face Toccoa Falls on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 12 p.m. for LCCS 5th Grader's Day Out.