BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort men's basketball team pulled off an upset, defeating the No. 10-ranked Division II North Georgia Nighthawks, 77-75, on Novant Health Court at The Cove. Dominic Eason hit the game-winning shot with five seconds remaining, and a final defensive stand sealed the victory.
The win improves the Sand Sharks to 13-4 overall and 7-3 in conference play, marking their fifth straight victory while remaining perfect at home. North Georgia falls to 11-4 overall with a 5-4 conference record.
Dominic Eason led USCB with 18 points, one of three Sand Sharks in double figures. Dylan Lewis added 11 points, while Ismail Rashid chipped in 10. Lewis also posted team highs with four rebounds and three steals, while Evan Kilminster led the team with six assists.
North Georgia scored the opening basket of the game before Lewis tied the contest at 2-2 with 18:16 remaining in the first half. In a defensive start to the game, the Sand Sharks' second basket came at the 15:36 mark on a Rashid three-pointer assisted by Qurahn Anderson, giving USCB a 6-4 lead. The Nighthawks responded with seven straight points to take an 11-6 advantage, but Lewis ended the run with a three-pointer. That shot sparked a stretch of three consecutive three-pointers for USCB, capped by a Kilminster triple to give the Sand Sharks a 15-14 lead.
After a Nolan Paladugu turnaround jumper put USCB ahead 19-16 midway through the half, Lewis scored his 11th point of the half with his third three-pointer, accounting for half of the Sand Sharks' 22 points at the time. That basket helped ignite a 15-0 run that opened up a 16-point lead at 32-16, finished off by a Hudson Norton three-pointer. The run spanned five minutes, during which USCB shot 6-of-8 from the field while holding North Georgia to 0-of-4 shooting and forcing four turnovers.
North Georgia answered with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits, but Eason halted their momentum with a pull-up jumper. The Nighthawks closed the half strong, trimming the Sand Sharks' lead to 34-28 at halftime.
Kevaughn Price opened the second half with a three-pointer for his first points of the game, followed by an Eason three-point play that pushed the USCB lead back to double digits at 42-32. North Georgia once again responded, pulling within three at 45-42 before a Rashid three-pointer stopped the run.
At the 13:25 mark, Eason threw down a dunk off a Shea Champine assist to make it 50-44. Rashid added a driving layup at the 10-minute mark halfway through the second half to maintain a four-point advantage. The teams then traded three-pointers as the Sand Sharks held a slim 57-55 lead.
In a back-and-forth final stretch, USCB maintained a narrow edge, leading 63-61 with 5:46 remaining. An Eason three-pointer extended the lead to 72-66, but North Georgia answered with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 75-75 with 16 seconds remaining. The Nighthawks hit two three-pointers during that stretch for the late tie.
With the game tied and under 10 seconds to play, Eason cut to the basket and converted the go-ahead layup with five seconds left off a pass from Kilminster before a final defensive stop secured the 77-75 victory over the No. 10-ranked team in Division II.
The Sand Sharks return home on Monday, January 19th, with a noon tip-off against Fayetteville State. USCB will then resume conference play at home on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. against the University of South Carolina Aiken at The Cove on Novant Health Court on January 24th.
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