DAHLONEGA, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University Women's Basketball team (8-2, 1-1 PBC) took the fight to perennial conference power and National No. 14 University of North Georgia (8-1, 2-0 PBC) Monday, falling 56-54.

The Bobcats hung tight with the defending Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Champions throughout, as the Nighthawks' largest lead was just six points, early on in the first quarter. Down four at 56-52 with 74 seconds left, sophomore guard Ashyia Willis (Gainesville) hit a runner to cut the lead in half.

GCSU forced a Nighthawk miss on the next possession, with sophomore Alexa Geary (Calhoun) pulling in the board and getting a timeout with four seconds left. Coming out of the break, a hotly-contested game-tying Bobcat layup attempt rimmed out as time expired.

Senior guard Harper Vick (Marietta) led all scorers with 14 points, adding four assists to the cause. Junior Myra Strickland (Duluth) came off the bench for 12 points, hitting half of her 10 shots from the field. Willis finished with 10 points, five boards and three assists, while Geary nearly put up a double-double at 11 rebounds and eight points.

The Bobcats controlled points in the paint, 32-26 and second-chance points 11-9, but hurt their own cause, going just 7-for-17 from the free-throw line.

The win puts UNG up 50-29 in the all-time series with GCSU, having won 11 in a row. Even with the loss, the Bobcats are tied with North Georgia for most overall wins by PBC teams this season.

The Bobcats are back in action Monday, Dec. 19 at 1:30 p.m., playing host to No. 18 Savannah State University.

As a proud recipient of the 2021 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GC Athletics is now two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the league's sportsmanship honor. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.