AMERICUS, Ga. -- After tieing the score twice within the final 10 minutes of the game, the No. 10 North Georgia escaped the Storm Dome with a win as the Georgia Southwestern women's basketball team couldn't regain the lead when they needed it most.

GSW held UNG to one of their lowest scoring totals of the season during Wednesday's Peach Belt Conference game as the Lady Hurricane defense forced 17 turnovers on the night. 

How It Happened: The game got off to a slow start as both teams had trouble scoring but after a late foul, Imani Arnold was able to put UNG on the board, 1-0, two minutes into the opening quarter. A layup by Tamecia Blue with 6:07 remaining in the first gave GSW a 2-1 lead. K'Shouri Hodge added a nice putback while Lex Chatman scored off a fast break to give GSW a 6-1 lead. UNG finished the quarter with a 7-0 run as they took the lead going into second quarter. 

UNG opened the second quarter with a 12-4 scoring run, as they went up by 10 points, 20-10, midway through the second. GSW responded with an 8-2 scoring on their on to cut the lead down to four points, 22-18, with 1:40 remaining in the half. However, the Nighthawks responded with a three to extend as they took a 25-18 lead going into halftime. 

GSW (4-6, 0-4 PBC) never felt like they were out the game as they cut the score down to one possession, 25-22, within one minute of the third quarter. UNG tried to pull away again but Madison Johnson wouldn't allow it. Johnson went on a run of her own as she scored seven points to tie the game and gave GSW a 32-31 lead after she converted a three-point play. The Nighthawks (12-1, 5-0 PBC) were able to get the lead back as they went into the final 10 minutes up, 39-37. 

A layup by Mariya Trimble tied the game at 39 as a tough Lady Hurricane defense stayed resilient as Blue drained one-of-two free throws that gave GSW a 40-39 lead with 9:08 remaining in the game. After a quick timeout, UNG responded with a three to retake the lead as they went on a 12-2 run before Chatman was able to drop a three of her own followed by a steal and layup to stop the late run by the Nighthawks. UNG then scored back-to-back three's as they stayed out of reach as the clock ticked down, taking the win. 

The Nighthawks shot over 51 percent from the floor while the Lady Hurricanes only shot 35.6 percent. UNG drained more threes, 6-2, over GSW but the home team held a 63.6 percent to 55.6 percent free throw percentage. After forcing 17 turnovers, GSW was able to turn it into 20 points on the opposite end of the court. 

Who Stood Out: Johnson led the team, coming off the bench with 15 points and two assists followed by Chatman, who finished with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Both Trimble and Blue finished with eight points each as Trimble picked up five steals and six boards to end the night. 

UNG was led by Kyra Davis, who finished with 15 points. Abbie Franklin drained four from deep as she had 13 points while Julianne Sutton posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.  

Up Next: The Lady Hurricanes will take the trip to the beach as they will play Flagler College on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m.