Women's basketball team earns third straight NCAA tournament bid before event is canceled
Article By: Clark Leonard
For a third straight year, the University of North Georgia (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) women's basketball team earned a spot in March Madness, before the was canceled on March 12.
The Nighthawks had earned the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Regional, which had been set to be played at Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø (26-5) is ranked No. 18 nationally after wins against Augusta University and Clayton State in the PBC tournament, followed by a 76-62 championship game loss to Lander. The Nighthawks won at least one game in their previous three NCAA tournament trips, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2019 and a Sweet 16 run in 2018.
Head coach , in her 26th season leading the program, was proud of her team's season.
"There are some games this season we probably shouldn't have won," Burson said. "But just the fact our leaders knew how to win and they refused to lose got us to 26 wins."
51³Ô¹ÏÍø junior forward earned PBC Player of the Year and first-team all-conference honors. Sutton averaged 18.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, with a team-high 27 blocks and 74 assists, good for third on the team.
Junior guard was a second-team all-conference selection, while junior guard received the Elite 15 Award, given to the student-athlete competing in each PBC championship who has the highest overall cumulative GPA. Sutton and Groover also earned all-PBC tournament honors. Sutton, Franklin and Groover are 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's captains.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø has no seniors this season. But this year's junior class has been part of 85 victories, including five wins in the NCAA tournament, in what is easily the best three-year run in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø's 15 seasons in NCAA Division II.
"Coach is one of the best in the business," Sutton said. "She knows her stuff."
Franklin said Burson knows how to motivate her players.
"We know how hard she works for us," Franklin said. "She puts her heart and soul into us, and we try to do the same for her and give her all we have."
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø men's basketball team finished 14-15 overall and 9-11 in PBC regular-season play, an improvement of three wins on both counts from 2019, and reached the PBC tournament this season under the direction of first-year head coach .
Senior guard was named third-team all-conference and PBC Defensive Player of the Year, while redshirt freshman was PBC Freshman of the Year.
Nighthawks wrap up season in Sweet 16
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø women's soccer team fell 2-0 to Columbus State University in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship Dec. 1.
Women's soccer team makes Sweet 16
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø women's soccer team punched its ticket to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016 with a 1-0 victory against Lander University on Nov. 24.
Nighthawks make NCAA tournament
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø women's soccer team has earned the No. 3 seed in the Southeast Region of the NCAA Division II tournament, marking its fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
Basketball teams aim high in 2024-25
The 51³Ô¹ÏÍø men’s and women’s basketball teams tip off their seasons in early November. Both teams return all-conference performers as they aim for national and PBC supremacy.