DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team attempted to fight an uphill battle after entering into the half down by 20 points, but despite out-scoring North Georgia by five in the final stanza, it was not enough to give the Braves the victory as the Night Hawks claimed the 87-72 win in Peach Belt Conference action on Saturday afternoon in Dahlonega, Ga.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak in the series for the Braves (14-12, 5-11 PBC) but brought North Georgia (10-10, 7-7) to a .500 record in the league and overall.

Brandon Winford carried a team-best 16 points and was one board shy of a double-double with nine rebounds, while junior Griffin Pittman and sophomore Quamain Rose chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively, as both dished out four assists. Junior Jihad Wright tallied four blocks. As a team, the Braves shot 37.3 percent from the field and went 20-for-28 from the charity stripe.

North Georgia's Lamar Richardson put up a game-high 28 points including eight of the team's 13 3-pointers, while Ishmael Hollis registered 15 points and 12 rebounds, all on the defensive boards, for a the game's only double-double. Shaquan Cantrell also added 10 points. The Night Hawks ended the contest with 57.1 percent from the field and out rebounded UNCP 34-32.

UNCP never led during the 40 minutes of regulation, but did manage to tie the score twice in the first half, and collected 22 points on the 18 turnovers committed by North Georgia.

The Braves will make a quick turnaround in less than 24 hours for another PBC contest with Young Harris (13-7, 7-6) on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. in Young Harris, Ga.