JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The No. 9 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team suffered its third consecutive loss in an 89-68 defeat at Carson-Newman (C-N) Saturday afternoon. 

The Nighthawks head into the holiday break with a sour taste in their mouth after dropping three straight games for the first time since the end of the 2023 regular season. All three losses have come away from home while Saturday's loss to the Eagles was UNG's first true road loss of the year. 

In the last three games, second half scoring droughts have been UNG's kryptonite in each loss. On Saturday, UNG trailed 35-33 at the halftime break. With 17:05 to play, the Nighthawks were within a basket as junior center Colin Turner converted on two free throws to make it 40-38 in favor of the Eagles.

After that point, C-N out-scored UNG 35-18 over the next 13 minutes. At the 4:39 mark, the Eagles secured their largest lead of the game thus far with a 19-point advantage at 75-56. 

A late three-pointer would give C-N a 21-point victory, its largest margin of victory ever over a ranked team. 

The Nighthawks had two scorers reach double figures in the defeat. Junior guard AJ White dropped 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting with a season-high 4-for-6 mark from beyond the arc. Turner posted 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting with five rebounds and three assists.

Junior guard Chase Champion added a season-high nine points while chipping in with three rebounds and two assists in an efficient outing. 

With the loss, UNG falls to 9-4 overall on the season. The Nighthawks will regroup over the holiday break and get ready for Peach Belt Conference play which begins with UNG's first game in 2025. The Nighthawks host Flagler on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center. Tip off against the Saints is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.