DAHLONEGA – The University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team used a fourth-quarter rally to outlast Livingstone 70-55 in its first game of the Bryan Properties UNG Nighthawk Classic at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center Friday night. 

The Nighthawks moved to 3-0 with the 15-point victory. They will face No. 16 Nova Southeastern in the final game of the Nighthawk Classic. The Sharks downed Clayton State 111-44 Friday afternoon in the opening game of the multi-team event. 

It was a pair of big scoring nights from graduate guard Caroline Martin and graduate forward Emily Trushel that propelled UNG to the win. 

Martin led the way with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting which included a 4-for-8 performance from three-point land, while Trushel followed closely behind with 19 points on 6-for-14 field goals and a 3-for-8 outing behind the line. Both players chipped in seven rebounds while Trushel contributed six assists along with a block and a steal.

Three other Nighthawks chipped in seven or more points. Freshman guard Averie Jones utilized three triples to total 11 points in the third collegiate game of her career. Jones added six rebounds as well. Both marks are new career highs in the young career of the Dahlonega native. 

UNG got out to an early lead 24-14 after the first quarter and used it to hold a comfortable advantage at halftime.

Leading 39-27 to start the third quarter, the game gap steadily shrunk as the Nighthawks struggled to score in the third frame. 

Going just 1-for-12 from the floor, UNG allowed Livingstone back into the game as the Blue Bears tied the score 43-43 with 23 seconds left in the quarter. A layup from Martin (the lone field goal of the quarter) gave the Nighthawks a 45-43 advantage heading into the final period of play.

Livingstone's Ny'Asia Green canned a three-pointer just 16 seconds into the fourth, giving the Blue Bears their first and only lead of the game. From that point, UNG outscored Livingstone 25-9 in the final 9:44 of the game. 

The scoring stretch included a 12-0 spurt over four minutes that ultimately sealed the win for the Nighthawks. 

In a schedule that features six games against opponents ranked in the top-25 of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) national poll, the first test of the season takes place tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. for UNG. The 16th-ranked Sharks of Nova Southeastern also enter the contest undefeated at 3-0. 

The Nighthawks are 17-2 in UNG Nighthawk Classic games with a 1-1 mark against ranked opponents. Saturday's contest will be the first ranked matchup in UNG's home event since it defeated No. 9 Carson-Newman on Nov. 19, 2022.