VALDOSTA, Ga. – Rontonio Stanley's 1-yard scoring plunge with 10:23 left in the second quarter gave the 12^th-ranked UNC Pembroke football team a commanding 17-0 lead, but the Braves needed a pair of fourth quarter interceptions by Matthew Thomas-Quick to preserve a 24-21 victory at 19^th-ranked Valdosta State on Saturday in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs.
 
The triumph marked the first playoff victory in the 10-year history of the football program at UNC Pembroke (10-1) who reached the double-digit win plateau for the first time in program annals as well. The setback marked the first home loss of the season for the Blazers (8-3) who were making their 15^th appearance in the postseason since 1994.
 
The win capped a wild day for NCAA Super Region 2 teams in the opening round of the playoffs. Sixth-seeded North Greenville knocked off third-seeded Florida Tech earlier in the day, and seventh-seeded Tuskegee also advanced with a 35-33 win at second-seeded Newberry. The Braves will travel to third-ranked and top-seeded North Alabama (8-1) on November 26, while Tuskegee will likely travel to North Greenville. Kickoff times will be announced on Monday.
 
Stanley ran for 125 yards on 25 carries to pace the UNCP offense, while All-American B.J. Bunn hauled in eight catches for 153 yards to give the Braves their first 1,000-yard receiver (1,008) in school history. Quay Threatt registered a key 44-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter as well.
 
The day belonged to the UNCP secondary, however, which tacked up four interceptions and seven pass break-ups against the nation's seventh-ranked passing offense. Thomas-Quick stole the headlines, but Elijah Williams and Tyler Threatt both grabbed key pickoffs as well. The Blazers, who came into the day averaging 320.2 passing yards per game, were limited to just 225 on Saturday.
 
A fumbled punt return by Valdosta State set up the first score of the day for the Braves as Matt Davis connected on a 28-yard field goal with 9:06 to play in the first quarter to give the Braves a lead they would not relinquish. Cliff Jones capped a 4-play, 67-yard scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown scamper later in the period, and the Braves went up 17-0 on Stanley's score less than five minutes into the second quarter.
 
Working with a shallow clock and no timeouts right before the half, the hosts finally got on the board thanks to a 6-play, 70-yard scoring drive that took just 62 seconds off of the game clock. A 5-yard pass from Adam Robles to Dallas Baldner with 14 seconds left before the break would make it a 17-7 game heading into the locker rooms.
 
The Blazers took advantage of an out-of-sync offense to cut into their deficit again on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Robles to Xay Howard midway through the third quarter. Haunted by three interceptions and a missed field goal attempt through the first 17 minutes of the second half, the Black & Gold finally got something going in the fourth quarter when Patrick O'Brien engineered a 4-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that was highlighted by a 44-yard touchdown pass to Quay Threatt.
 
Valdosta State made it a three-point game again when Robles found Baldner on a 6-yard scoring route with 7:35 left, but UNCP answered with a time-consuming drive on the ensuing possession that all but sealed the outcome. The Blazers got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with 31 ticks left, but Thomas-Quick put the final nail in the coffin with his interception on second down.