DAHLONEGA, Ga. – As they have in each loss this season, turnovers once again proved to be the Achilles' heel of the UNCP men's basketball team as they committed 30 of them in falling to North Georgia by a 72-70 final on Saturday in a Peach Belt Conference matchup at Memorial Hall in Dahlonega, Ga.

The Braves (14-9, 7-8 PBC) continue to fight for a spot in the upcoming Peach Belt Conference Tournament, but their hopes take a hit with the loss to the Saints (9-13, 6-7 PBC). UNCP entered the matchup as the ninth-ranked team in the Southeast Region and are currently fifth in the PBC's East Division standings.

The back-and-forth battle featured 14 ties and 22 lead changes throughout the game, with UNCP increasing their lead to as much as nine in the first half and North Georgia building an 11 point lead in the second. The Braves held a 32-26 advantage on points in the paint and registered 18 fast break points compared to just four by the Saints, but the hosts used a plethora of UNCP miscues in holding a 31-17 advantage in points coming off of turnovers.

The Braves shot a sizzling 61.0 percent from the floor (25-of-41) compared to 46.4 percent (25-of-56) by the Saints.

Senior Chris Hargrove led the team with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor while sophomore Shahmel Brackett followed with 13 of his own on 4-of-8 shooting. Junior Nathan Priest was the final member of the squad in double figures with 11 points.

Junior Mike Robinson logged a game-high nine rebounds and eight points.

UNCP will return to action on Wednesday when they host USC Aiken at the English E. Jones Center in Pembroke.