WINSTON-SALEM – Keysheen Hinton nailed a jumper with 3.5 seconds left in overtime to give the 13th-ranked UNC Pembroke men's basketball team the lead as the Braves rallied back from a late deficit in regulation to knock off Winston-Salem State, 89-88, on Tuesday evening in the C.E. Gaines Center.
It was the second-straight victory for the Braves (2-1) who have now won 10 of their last 13 road games dating back to the start of the 2014-15 campaign. It was the second loss of the season for the Rams (1-2) who are in the midst of a season-opening five-game home stand. It was the first series meeting for the two schools who are separated by just 144 miles.
Quamain Rose keyed a season- and game-best 24 points with five 3-pointers and Alex Bradley added 14 points for the Braves who shot nearly 62 percent from the field in the first half. Freshman Carson Mounce came off the bench to tally a dozen points on 6-of-6 shooting, while Hinton added seven key points in just six minutes of action.
C.J. Ford totaled a team-high 17 points for the Rams who canned 29 of their 40 attempts from the charity stripe in the outing. Rayvon Harris added 14 points for the hosts as well. The Braves were whistled for 30 personal fouls in the contest, while the Rams exited the outing with just 18 penalties. The Black & Gold finished 10-of-14 from the free throw line.
The contest featured 11 tie scores and 18 lead changes.
Rose canned a 3-pointer just less than a minute into the extra time to give the Braves an 84-81 lead, but Winston-Salem State scored the game's next five points to retake control. Demone Harrison's short jumper with 13 seconds put the hosts back up on top, but Hinton's running jumper on the ensuing possession helped UNCP steal the road win.
Carlos Rankins hit a layup with 25 seconds left and, following a turnover by Rose on the other end of the court, Ford nailed a pair of free throws to give the Rams an 81-78 lead with six seconds left in regulation. However, Rose corralled the inbounds pass and ran the length of the floor before draining a desperation trey that sent the game into overtime.
The Braves will close out a season-opening five game stretch away from home this weekend when they head to Mount Olive for the 50th Annual Pickle Classic. UNCP will battle Barton (2-1) in Friday's opening game at 5 p.m. before locking horns with the host- and sixth-ranked Trojans (2-1) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be played inside Mount Olive's Kornegay Arena.
