Historic season wraps up in regional final

The shots weren't falling, and momentum was hard to sustain. But the University of North Georgia (UNG) women's basketball team battled to the end in a 64-54 loss to Coker University on March 17 in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship game.

The Cobras advanced to the Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the Nighthawks came up one win shy of making the tournament's final week.

"When they wake up tomorrow, they're going to be sad, but they're also not going to have one regret whatsoever," UNG head coach Buffie Burson said. "We really loved our team and we really loved our chances, and we just wanted to have a shot. Most of all, we wanted to keep playing."

Like they had all weekend, the Nighthawks fought through adversity to give themselves a chance. Two days earlier, they took the lead for good in the final two minutes in a 64-56 regional semifinal victory against Peach Belt Conference (PBC) rival Columbus State. That win came a day after UNG overcame an early six-point deficit before pulling away for a 78-64 victory in the NCAA opener against UNC Pembroke.

Graduate guard Caroline Martin and graduate forward Emily Trushel earned All-Southeast Regional honors. For the season, Martin was named the Division II Conference Commissioners Association Southeast Region Player of the Year and a first-team all-region performer, while Trushel was a second-team all-region performer.

Graduate guard Ansley Hall and sophomore forward Kendall Emener each had 14 points in the finale to lead the Nighthawks, with Martin adding 12 points. Trushel led the triumph against Columbus State with 23 points, with Martin adding 18. Martin (20 points), Trushel (19 points) and freshman guard Averie Jones (15 points) paced the scoring in the first-round win against UNC Pembroke.

Burson thanked UNG President Michael Shannon, Athletic Director Mary Rob Plunkett and all of the UNG staff members who served as part of the team effort of hosting the Southeast Regional and creating an unforgettable environment for all eight teams.

The accomplishments this season were plentiful for the Nighthawks, who finished the season 31-3 overall and went 11-0 in road games. The 31 victories are the most in the 20-year NCAA Division II era for the program. The team went 16-2 to earn the PBC regular-season title before adding three more wins for a PBC tournament title.

"When I say special team, it's an understatement. I told them that's probably the hardest locker room speech I've ever given. I've been extremely numb for two years, to be honest," Burson said. "But they brought out so much emotion in a good way for me. I'm not a very emotional person, but it's a joy to coach them. They're tough. They play for each other."

One of the numbers that stood out most to Burson was the 18.2 assists UNG averaged entering its finale, good for fourth nationally.

"They were selfless," Burson said. "That says everything about this group."