PEMBROKE – An emphatic dunk with 13:11 to play helped Young Harris stake claim to a commanding 55-41 lead, but the UNC Pembroke men's basketball team used a 12-0 run to get back into the game and then took the lead for good with 58 seconds left on the way to a 78-72 win over the Mountain Lions on Saturday afternoon at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The triumph helped the Braves (12-11, 6-8 PBC) put a three-game home skid to rest, while also giving the Black & Gold its first victory over the Mountain Lions since the 2012-13 campaign. It was the third loss in the last five outings for Young Harris (12-11, 10-4) who fell to 5-8 away from home this season with the setback.
James Murray-Boyles came off the bench to score 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting, but the freshman complemented his offense with four steals and a trio of assists as well. Brandon Watts grabbed his second career double-double with 17 points and a dozen boards, while Carson Mounce turned in 12 points on 6-of-9 field goal shooting.
Ben Waterhouse tacked up 18 points to lead Young Harris, while all-conference standout C.J. Wilson added 14 points. Marques McKoy turned in a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Mountain Lions as well.
A dunk by Marcellus Roberts at the 13:11 mark gave the visitors a comfortable 14-point lead, but Mounce's running layup on the other end of the court sparked the hosts on a 12-0 run that eventually pulled them to within a single possession after a layup by Murray-Boyles just more than three minutes later. Young Harris pushed its lead back out to seven points, 69-62, with 4:44 remaining, but the Braves finished out the contest with a 16-3 run to seal the win.
Both squads shot better than 40 percent in the opening half, but combined for 22 turnovers in the opening stanza to prevent either from pulling away. Young Harris scored seven of the game's first nine points to grab the early lead in a period that featured four tie scores and six lead changes. Bjorn Walker's 3-pointer at the buzzer would give the visitors a 33-30 edge heading to the locker rooms.
UNCP will hit the road again on Wednesday when it treks to Greenwood, S.C., to battle PBC co-leader Lander (16-6, 10-3) in the back half of a 5:30 p.m. doubleheader inside Horne Arena.
