ROME, Ga. – The Lady Hawks won their first game of the season, pulling away from the North Georgia Nighthawks, 79-71 after three overtime periods.

Kayla Tillie scored a team-high 20 points while playing 48 of 50 minutes. Tillie's three-pointer as time expired in second overtime period tied the game, and the momentum stayed with Shorter as it defeated the Nighthawks after 55 minutes of play.

"It was a huge win for us," head coach Vic Mitchell stated. "I'm really proud of our team; it was a tremendous effort."

SU jumped out to a slight advantage in the opening period, 9-7, after Tillie's three-pointer, but North Georgia quickly tied the contest. BreAnna Thompson gave the Lady Hawks a two-point lead at the end of the first.

The home team extended its lead to nine when Roni Richardson converted from beyond the arc, but UNG pulled managed to quickly pull with five points. Junior Jordan McCarver's three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the half helped Shorter take a 24-16 advantage to the locker room.

Late in the third, the tide turned as the Nighthawks tied the game, but the visitors did not take the lead until early in the final quarter.

UNG opened up a five-point but lead, but a trio of Lady Hawks, Thompson, Brittany Greene, and Raven Fair helped SU gain a three-point advantage with 47 seconds left in regulation. UNG's Jordan Livesay scored with 25 seconds to go, tying the game at 50 and forcing overtime.

Just seconds into the opening extra period, Taylor Adams' and-1 put the Lady Hawks up 53-50. Shorter led by as many as five, but the Nighthawks ended the period on a 6-1 run. Tillie's three at the buzzer fell short and the teams played an additional five minutes.

Trailing by three in the second OT, Tillie came in clutch, banking in a three-pointer as time expired to force a third overtime. "A lot of people stepped up, but really proud of Kayla and happy for her," the head coach noted.

Shorter pulled away in the third overtime. Tillie and Denise Newton scored from beyond the arc to give the Lady Hawks a four-point lead before North Georgia pulled within two with 1:41 left in the period.

Jackie Hudson's jumper put the Lady Hawks up two shots, while free throws by Tillie and Thompson sealed the 79-71 victory.

Tillie led Shorter with 20 points on 5 of 10 shooting to go along with six free throws. Fair, Thompson, and Greene also scored in double figures, while Adams added 9 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Kelsey Hutchins scored a game-high 26 points for the Nighthawks.

The Lady Hawks outshot the visitors 40.6% to 34.8%. Shorter hit 20 of 25 free throws, while UNG made 19 of 23.

"The win should give us confidence going into conference play, which we start with a tremendous challenge at Lee," Mitchell mentioned.

Tipoff of the Shorter at Lee game, the Lady Hawks first Gulf South Conference matchup of the year, is set for 5 p.m. from Cleveland, Tennessee.