Braves Drop PBC Opener To Clayton State, 89-67

MORROW, Ga. – In their first Peach Belt Conference game of the season the UNCP men's basketball team dropped an 89-67 decision to Clayton State on Saturday afternoon as the Lakers' Robert Murry and Jaquas Dobbs combined for 39 points against the Braves on the day.

Murry (20 points) and Dobbs (19 points, seven rebounds) were two of four Lakers that scored in double figures, with Timothy Downs and Brandon Robinson adding 15 points apiece to the CSU total. Clayton State improves to 4-1 overall with a PBC record of 1-0. UNCP drops to 3-4 on the season, while also falling to 0-1 in conference.

Senior forward Brandon Thomas scored a team-high 14 points for Pembroke with freshman guard Shahmel Brackett chipping in 10. Thomas and George Blakeney each pulled down seven rebounds for the Braves, with Blakeney earning two blocks.

Clayton came out firing on all cylinders in the first half scoring 10 unanswered points to begin the game before Tyler Egli put the Braves on the board with a 3-pointer at the 16:46 mark. The Lakers continued their offensive surge, increasing their lead to as much as 19 over the next five minutes.

Pembroke would find its bearing offensively the rest of the half, going point for point with the Lakers, but the early damage took its toll as Clayton took a 50-29 lead into halftime.

The Lakers would keep Pembroke at arm's length the rest of the game, increasing their lead to as much as 30 points at three different times, with UNCP never getting closer than 19.

With the 22-point win Clayton is now 17-3 lifetime against Pembroke, having won three in a row against the Braves.

The Braves will next be in action next Saturday when they hit the road to take on Anderson in a game set to begin at 4 p.m. CSU's next game will also be next Saturday, a road contest against Clark Atlanta at 7:30 p.m.