Box Score

PEMBROKE – Trailing by eight with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter, the UNC Pembroke women's basketball team ignited a 23-4 run to turn the tables on No. 15 Clayton State and run away with a 76-61 upset Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court in the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) opener for both squads.
 
It's just the second time in the last 12 meetings the Braves (5-2) were able to knock off the Lakers (8-2), but the second-consecutive victory for the Black & Gold in Pembroke. The setback snaps a five-game winning streak for Clayton State.
 
Coming out of the half down 12 points, UNCP upped its intensity on the defensive end of the court, holding the guests to just four points in the fourth quarter. The Lakers missed 11-straight shots to end the third and begin the final period, a scoring drought of over seven minutes. The Braves' 23-4 run put them up 13 with only five minutes remaining in the fourth, effectively icing the upset. The hosts outscored Clayton State 16-4 in the third and 27-12 in the final stanza.
 
Seniors Jasmine Huntley and Jonissa Monley sparked the second-half run, scoring 30 of their combined 37 points in the final 20 minutes of action. Huntley finished with a game-best 24 on 8-of-11 shooting, just one off her career high, while Monley poured in 13 and grabbed 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. UNCP dominated the glass, outrebounding the Lakers 50-36, including a 33-24 edge on the defensive end.
 
Airico Williams canned 10 points and hauled in 12 boards to put together her first double-double of the season and second of her career. Jillian Ebron (nine points) and Ebone Stevens (six points) each hit twice from long range for a team that connected on 47 percent (8-of-17) of their 3-point attempts.
 
The Braves turned 17 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points, while Clayton State managed just five second-chance points on 12 offensive boards. The Lakers' leading scorer, Tierra Johnson (21 points) was held scoreless in the second half.
 
UNCP will play one more game before the holiday break, traveling to Americus, Georgia Monday for a 1:30 p.m. tilt with Georgia Southwestern in the Storm Dome. The Braves are 9-4 all-time against the Hurricanes dating back to the first meeting in 1998-89, but have lost three straight, including a 63-59 setback in Pembroke last season. The Hurricanes (6-2, 1-0 PBC) knocked off Francis Marion in their league opener Saturday.