GAFFNEY, S.C. – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team defeated storied rival Young Harris to go 2-0 in the Southeast Region Crossover on the weekend in Gaffney, S.C.

UNG was down four points at once in the second half and came back to win in a back-and-forth battle down the stretch. The comeback is already UNG's third second-half comeback in just four games this season. On Friday the Nighthawks rallied from down 10 points to Limestone for an 11-point victory. On Saturday it was a four-point deficit with 8:39 remaining that the squad would overcome.

The win makes UNG 4-0 to start the season. The Nighthawks are undefeated through four games for the second consecutive season and just the third time in the NCAA Division II era (2005) of program history. 

Cayden Charles posted a career-high 34 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the floor (76.9 percent), a 3-for-4 mark from downtown while also going 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) at the free throw line. His 34 points are tied for the third-most in a game in the Division II era in program history. 

Charles was supported by juniors AJ White and Colin Turner who each also contributed double-digit scoring in the triumph.

White posted 15 points and six assists while knocking down a trio of triples from long distance. Turner had an early season-high 12 points and added seven boards as well. 

Charles scored 18 of his 34 points in the first half, contributing to a 45-32 Nighthawk lead at the break. 

In the second half, the Mountain Lions came out with a vengeance. Young Harris outscored the Nighthawks 27-14 in the first 10 minutes of the second half, tying the game at 59-59 with 9:45 left to play. A pair of free throws and another bucket would give the Mountain Lions a four-point advantage. 

The lead would change nine times down the stretch, all the way into the final minutes of the game. With 2:03 remaining, senior guard Sutton Smith snatched the ball from Young Harris and spurred the Nighthawks into a transition break.

Charles received the ball from White and converted on a layup to give UNG a 78-77 lead. 

On the next Mountain Lion possession, Carl Cleveland buried a three-pointer, snatching the lead from the claws of the Nighthawks yet again. 

Trailing by two points, freshman forward Zack Hawkinson willed the contest to a tie with an all-out effort. After missing a layup, the hard-nosed rebounder grabbed an offensive board to keep the possession alive. Hawkinson then turned and converted on a jumper in the paint, tying the game at 80-80.

The Nighthawks would force a miss on the ensuing possession as Smith snared the board and assisted on a layup from Turner. 

With 26 seconds left, Young Harris head coach Jeremy Currier called a timeout, setting up a possible game-tying or winning possession for his team. Sophomore guard Chase Champion had other ideas. 

As the clock wound down, Mountain Lion Karl Chavis lined up the final shot. Champion poked the ball away leading to a UNG fastbreak in which Charles would get fouled and head to the free throw line. Fittingly, Charles capped off his career night with two game-sealing free throws. 

While the offensive performance from the Nighthawks stands out in the win, it was the defensive that ultimately kept UNG's undefeated record intact. The Nighthawks plucked three steals with three different players (Charles, Smith, Champion) in the final 2:28 of the game. Four of UNG's final eight points came directly from the takeaways.

Now the Nighthawks will finally return to Dahlonega and prepare for the 2024-25 home-opener. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, UNG will take on Tusculum from the UNG Convocation Center at 7 p.m.