Box Score

FLORENCE, S.C. – The UNC Pembroke women's basketball team committed 20 turnovers, leading to 20 Francis Marion points Monday evening at the Smith University Center, as the Patriots pulled away late in a 62-53 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) victory.

The Braves (13-6, 8-4 PBC) fall for the second time in their last three outings, both setbacks on the road. The 52-point output is the second lowest for a UNCP squad that hit just one of its 11 3-point attempts. The triumph gives Francis Marion (10-11, 5-7 PBC) wins in three of its last four overall and it now holds a 40-24 advantage over the Braves all-time.

Down 24-16 with under five minutes to play in the second quarter, the Braves closed the half on a 12-3 run, going 8-for-8 at the charity stripe down the stretch to lead 28-27 at the halftime break.

The Patriots found their stride in the locker rooms, opening the third period on a 12-2 to grab a 39-30 lead and held that advantage through the 4:30 mark of the stanza. A lay in from Jonissa Monley cut the UNCP deficit to seven with 4:10 on the clock before Airico Williams took over, scoring seven-straight points to knot the game 45-45 with two minutes to play in the third. Two baskets in the final 70 seconds of the period pushed the hosts ahead 52-47 at the third-quarter horn.

Both teams traded baskets in the early moments of the fourth and the Patriots led by six, 59-53, with under four minutes to play. The Francis Marion offense went cold for three-consecutive possessions, but the Black & Gold did not capitalize, turning the ball over three-straight trips with under 3:30 on the clock. The hosts hit three freebies on the final two minutes to ice the game after UNCP failed to score in the final 4:50 of the contest.

A bright spot for the Braves, Monley cashed in 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, her sixth-career game amassing the 20-point plateau points and second this season. The senior hauled in 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the campaign. Williams tacked on 11 points and nine rebounds, going 7-for-9 at the free-throw line.

The Black & Gold bookended an 11-of-21 shooting performance (52.4 percent) in the second and third quarters with just a 5-of-29 clip (17.2 percent) from the floor in the first and fourth periods. UNCP outrebounded the hosts 44-30 and dominated the paint by a 30-18 margin.

The Braves return home Wednesday, hosting Flagler at 5:30 p.m. at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court on the front end of women's-men's doubleheader. The Saints (3-16, 1-11 PBC) grabbed their first league win Monday night, a 71-61 win at Armstrong State. The victory snapped a 14-game skid for Flagler.