PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke men's basketball team rallied all the way back from a 24-point deficit midway through the second half to tie the game on a trio of free throws by Mike Smith with 6.9 seconds left, but Keshun Sherrill drew a foul on the ensuing inbounds play and canned a pair on the other end to lift visiting Augusta to an 80-78 win over the Braves on Monday evening.
 
The setback snapped a four-game win streak for the Black & Gold (9-3, 2-1 PBC) who saw its eight-game home winning skein come to an end as well. The triumph snapped a two-game skid for the Jaguars (8-3, 1-2) who have now won six of the last seven in the series with their PBC East rivals.
 
Monday's result marked the 28^th time in the 53-game history of the series that a matchup has been decided by a single possession. The last four games have been decided by a total of nine points.
 
Nigel Grant scored all 15 of his points in the second half to pace the hosts, while freshman Akia Pruitt grabbed his third double-double of the season with 15 points and a season-best 12 boards. Alex Bradley chipped in 12 points and a game-best six assists, and Smith came off the bench to register a career-high 14 points.
 
Sherrill, who came into the contest sporting a league-best (3^rd NCAA) 26.2 points per game, turned in a game-high 18 points for the Jaguars despite shooting just 5-of-16 from the floor. Kyle Doyle snagged a double-double with 10 points and as many rebounds.
 
A pair of free throws by Vlad Cobzaru gave Augusta a seemingly insurmountable 62-38 advantage with 11:25 to play, but the Braves put together a 16-6 run over the next five minutes to get the crowd back into the game, and then scored 20 of the next 26 points in the contest to knot the game up. The Jaguars connected on just five of their final 18 shots of the game and turned the ball over six times during that span to fuel the comeback by the hosts.
 
UNCP shot just 27.3 percent from the field in the opening half and missed 13 of their final 16 shots of the period. Augusta led by double digits, 34-23, with 4:27 left before the intermission, and eventually lugged a 10-point lead into the locker rooms.
 
The Braves will hit the road again on Wednesday when they make the long trek to west central Georgia to lock horns with Columbus State (8-1, 1-1) inside the Frank G. Lumpkin Center. Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.