Nighthawks Edge Lander In Round 3
UNG Wins 70-67 To Take The Southeast Regional Title And Advance To The Elite Eight In Evansville
Dan Evans was in a tough spot right out of the gate. His Nighthawks fell behind in the early moments and his stalwart forward Frank Champion collected two fouls in the opening three minutes. To add to that, UNG was playing conference rival Lander in a win- or-go- home scenario. Oh, and UNG had lost twice to Lander earlier this session.
Clearly, Champion had to sit. Evans would call on front line help from several sources– Colin Turner and Giancarlo Bastianoni among them, and hope that his charges could weather the storm.
One big plus was the rowdy Tuesday night crowd at Cottrell Arena. In that environment Evans' players were able to meet the challenge, using an effective inside game to produce a 20-10 rebounding advantage which fed a 54% field goal percentage leading to a 36- 29 halftime lead. Champion sat until the second half, when he returned to help his mates hang on for a 70-67 win, arguably the biggest moment ever for the UNG Men's basketball program.
Several times during the game, the Nighthawks gathered a little momentum to push the lead toward double figures. But each time, Lander found a way to fight back, including in the final two minutes where they pulled within three by using full court pressure to generate a couple of UNG turnovers. A missed free throw by Lander with 4 ticks left and down three points9 gave UNG the ball. A length of the floor inbounds pass spent all of the remaining time and Nighthawk fans stormed the court in a wild celebration.
The victory nudged the Nighthawks season record to 28-6. More than that, it punched their ticket to the Elite Eight In Evansville Indiana next week. Of over 300 schools in NCAA Division 2, UNG is among the last eight still alive in the quest for a national title.
Afterward Evans saluted his team's "..toughness and grit" that were evidenced by how well they played in the first half in Champion's absence. He singled out sophomore guard Cayden Charles who played another great all around game and garnered Tournament MVP. honors.
As for Champion's second half performance, Evans said his star forward was "... smart enough and savvy enough to know the situation" when it came to trying to draw the fifth foul on Bearcats' forward Inady Legiste. Indeed he was, and Legiste did foul out in the waning moments, adding to the Nighthawks big advantage on the boards. Champion finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds in his 23 minutes.
The Nighthawks will now prepare for a 4th round game in Evansville next week, March 26. A win there will get them to the Division 2 Final Four. For those who can't make the trip to Indiana, UNG President Mike Shannon has planned a "watch party" on campus to further amplify the broad support that the team has enjoyed. All in all, it's a heady time to be a UNG Nighthawk.
Patrick Conarro RamblinSports.com