UNG wraps up historic season in Elite Eight

EVANSVILLE, Indiana — The University of North Georgia (UNG) men's basketball team closed out its best season in program history going toe to toe with West Texas A&M in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals March 26 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It wasn't the ending the Nighthawks hoped for in a 90-76 loss, but the players displayed the resilience and togetherness that marked their whole season.

UNG fell behind by 17 points on multiple occasions in the first half before making a furious comeback that gave them the lead a few times in the second half.

"While today includes some pain and includes some disappointment and probably some regret that you've got to live with in this sport, it doesn't take away from what we've done, what we've accomplished and what we're building," head coach Dan Evans said. "If you're willing individually to pour into something that's larger than you, you open the door to things that are tremendous and are lifelong memories."

Hunter Shedenhelm, a senior guard who scored 10 points, said the Nighthawks' determination shone through after they fell behind.

"We know we deserved to be here. We have faith in each other," Shedenhelm said. "We're going to fight until the very end, no matter what. We love the sport of basketball. We're going to give everything on the floor."

Junior forward Frank Champion, who was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American earlier that day, tallied a team-high 19 points, and sophomore point guard AJ White added 16 points. Sophomore center Colin Turner scored 10 points.

"You can't put your head down. Basketball is a game of runs," Champion said. "I'm proud of us for giving that fight."

The Nighthawks finished the season 28-7, far outpacing the previous program record of 23 victories. They compiled a 13-5 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) regular-season record before winning their first PBC tournament title. That earned them the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division Southeast Regional, and three wins later, they punched their ticket to the Elite Eight.

The March 19 victory against PBC rival Lander University for the Southeast Regional title made history with a record crowd of 3,767 at Lynn Cottrell Arena at the UNG Convocation Center. Then, the Nighthawks fans showed up almost 100 strong for a send-off from the team hotel in Evansville ahead of the national quarterfinal game.

Evans sees this season as a possible springboard for the future, particularly with three sophomores in his starting lineup.

"You get a taste of what you can be," Evans said. "It's not a fluke. It's not a one-off. It's not an isolated run of success. We're lucky to have players who have built a program that can work to be sustainable."