The University of North Georgia Women’s Basketball team defeated Georgia College and State University in dramatic fashion, as junior forward Emily Trushel hit a layup with less than a second left in the game to give the Nighthawks the 71-69 win on Jan. 10.  

The game started out going back and forth, with the Nighthawks holding a 15-11 lead after the first quarter. North Georgia maintained their lead throughout the second quarter, going into halftime up 36-26. 

North Georgia continued to dominate in the third quarter and pushed their lead even further. Freshman guard Lexi Pierce hit a three-pointer with 2:40 left in the quarter to extend the Nighthawks lead, 50-34. 

Once the fourth quarter started, the Bobcat’s offense came alive, outscoring North Georgia 26-19 in the fourth. Georgia College’s freshman guard Ashyia Willis was fouled on a layup with less than six seconds to play, and she hit both of her free throws to tie the game at 69 all. 

After the free throws, North Georgia called a timeout to draw up a play. The ball ended up in Trushel’s hands, and she spun to the basket to hit a layup off the glass to give the Nighthawks the lead with .2 seconds left in the game. 

Georgia College could not get a shot off before the buzzer, and North Georgia secured the win. 

Four Nighthawks scored in double figures, and senior guard Kaylee Sticker led the way for North Georgia with 15 points. 

The win was a significant one for North Georgia, according to the numbers. It was the Nighthawks’ tenth win overall, their fourth in a row to remain undefeated in Peach Belt Conference play and their 52nd all-time against Georgia College. 

Trushel said that she is thankful that Coach Burson trusted her with the ball in her hands to take the game-winning shot. 

“I actually had a workout with our assistant, Amber, this morning and did that exact move,” Trushel said, “So I knew that I had to step up and knock it down when it counted.” 

Trushel said that no conference game is going to be handed to them easily. 

“I’m so glad we got the win tonight and I’m proud of us for never backing down,” Trushel said, “We have to continue to stay humble and work on who we are as a team every day.”