DAHLONEGA, Ga. | Shaquan Cantrell scored 25 points as the University of North Georgia held off cross-mountain rival Young Harris College 91-86 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Monday (Jan. 30) evening at Memorial University.

The Nighthawks improved to 11-9 overall and moved into a first-place tie in the PBC West Division with Young Harris at 7-4. The Mountain Lions fell to 13-7 overall. Young Harris returns to the road Wednesday (Feb. 1) for a 7:30 p.m. PBC contest against Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, Georgia.

The Mountain Lions used an 11-4 run to open up a 26-17 lead on a basket underneath by Marques McKoy with 8:12 remaining. UNG battled back to take its first lead at 34-33 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Tyler Dominy with 2:58 remaining. 

Young Harris led 37-36 at the half, but saw the Nighthawks use a 10-2 run to open up a 66-58 lead on a Roderick English three-pointer from the left side with 10:04 left. However, the Mountain Lions erased the deficit with nine unanswered points to take a 67-66 lead on a McKoy layup with 7:50 to go. 

The teams traded the lead back and forth for the next two minutes before North Georgia took the lead for good at 72-71 on Cantrell layup with 5:58 remaining. That started the first of eight straight points by the Nighthawks and a 14-5 run as UNG took a 84-76 lead on a Dominy running jumper with 1:51 to go.  

The Mountain Lions got it within four points twice in the final minute, but couldn't get any close than that.

"They out toughed us tonight, especially in the last eight minutes," said YHC head coach Pete Herrmann. "They wanted it more and they deserved to get the win. They were the aggressors. They seemed to get every loose ball or rebound when they needed to get one."

Ephraim Tshimanga added 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Nighthawks while Ross Morkem added 14 points. Dominy added 13 points and eight rebounds.

Ben Waterhouse led the Mountain Lions with 19 points, while Bjorn Walker picked up a double double with 15 points and 15 rebounds. J.B. Charles finished in double figures with 12 points. Corey Nelson, C.J. Wilson, Marcellus Roberts and McKoy each finished with nine points.