DAHLONEGA – The No. 7 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team shattered a number of defensive records in its 63-22 victory in the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals against seventh-seeded Georgia College (GCSU) on Saturday. 

The Nighthawks (28-2, 16-2 Peach Belt) ended GCSU's (17-13, 9-9 Peach Belt) season by exacting revenge with stifling defense against the Bobcats.

After GCSU held UNG to a season-low 43 points in its second loss of the season back on Feb. 5, the Nighthawks gave the Bobcats a taste of their own medicine at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center on Saturday.

With a trip to the 2025 PBC Tournament Championship on the line, Saturday's game appeared to be a close contest in the first quarter. Both teams shut down their opponent defensively as the Nighthawks held a slim 13-10 lead in the final seconds of the opening frame after trailing 10-5 early on.

However, senior guard Carly Fahey drilled a deep three pointer at the buzzer to give her team momentum and a six-point advantage after the first quarter.

From there, UNG turned up the dial at both ends of the floor. Conversely, the wheels began to fall off for GCSU on offense. From the six-minute mark of the first quarter to the 5:11 mark of the second quarter, the Nighthawks prolonged a 21-1 scoring run to pull ahead with a 26-11 lead. 

While UNG put up a respectable 15 points in the second quarter, GCSU mustered just six points over the 10-minute span. 

In the third quarter, just two baskets went in as the Bobcats scored just four points. 

It was even worse in the fourth quarter as GCSU went 0-for-16 from the floor, 0-for-7 from deep range and scored its only two points at the free throw line. 

With 22 points allowed in total, six in the second half and two in the fourth quarter, UNG shattered program and PBC records with the shutdown performance. Saturday's marks are new record lows for fewest points scored in a game, half and quarter in a PBC Tournament game.

Looking beyond the scope of the conference tournament, GCSU's 22 points in total are the fewest scored in a single game in the history of the Peach Belt Conference. The Nighthawks shattered the NCAA Division II era (2005) program record for fewest points allowed which was previously 31. 

The Bobcats were held to an 8-of-60 (13.3 percent) mark from the floor and a 2-for-22 (9.1 percent) mark from three-point land. GCSU's 13.3 field goal percentage is the lowest UNG has held any team since at least 2010. 

The 41-point victory is the second-largest of the season for the Nighthawks and the largest against a conference opponent despite UNG scoring its second-fewest points of the season.

Offensively the Nighthawks were led by graduate guard Caroline Martin who had a game-high 15 points while collecting seven rebounds and plucking a game-high three steals.

Senior guard Ansley Hall was the only other UNG scorer in double figures with 12 points as she drilled four triples in the win.

Sophomore forward Kendall Emener added seven points and five rebounds but her most impressive performance came on the defensive side of the ball. Against the nation's leading rebounder in Bobcat forward Jada Warren, Emener limited her opposition to just one offensive board on Saturday. In their Feb. 5 matchup in Dahlonega, Warren totaled 14 rebounds and eight offensive boards. Emener made sure a performance like that was not repeated a second time around.

Graduate forward Emily Trushel also had a fantastic day rebounding as she quietly neared a triple-double in the game. The Brentwood, Tenn. native scored six points while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds and dishing out a game-high eight assists which tied her career high. 

Trushel averages 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season but is putting up 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in the last four outings. 

Sophomore forward Ava McGlockton also secured six rebounds in the win as five Nighthawks grabbed four or more rebounds en route to a season-high 52 boards in total. Every UNG player that saw the floor grabbed at least two rebounds on Saturday. 

The Nighthawks will make their seventh PBC Tournament Championship appearance on Sunday at Lynn Cottrell Arena. It will be UNG's sixth appearance in the last eight seasons. A win would mark the fifth PBC Tournament Title in program history and would tie a conference record. 

The Nighthawks will take on seventh-seeded Georgia Southwestern (GSW) after the Hurricanes defeated sixth-seeded Lander 59-52 in Saturday's second semifinal matchup. GSW is also in search of history as it looks to become the first program ever to win three consecutive PBC Tournament titles. 

The action tips off from the UNG Convocation Center at 1 p.m.