Lady Braves Dominate Augusta State
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Asserting their dominance in the first half, the UNCP Lady Braves toppled the hosting Lady Jaguars of Augusta State for a 57-47 Peach Belt Conference win Wednesday evening at the Christianberry Fieldhouse.
UNCP (9-8, 3-5 PBC) was led by JaToya Kemp and DeDe Cotten who both pumped in double-digits for the Black and Gold. Kemp found 18 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and pulled down nine boards while also registering a trio of assists and a steal. Cotten tied her career-best with 11 points, nabbed a trio of rebounds and found a pair of assists for the Lady Braves.
Augusta State (1-15, 0-7) was led by Waneta Carlisle and Briyana Evans who pumped in 16 and 11 points, respectively. Carlisle connected on 5-of-12 field goal shots and pulled down seven rebounds while Evans found points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field while also grabbing nine boards.
"I thought that our defense was pretty solid today," said UNCP head coach John Haskins. "We are still a little inconsistent with the way that we are possessing taking care of the ball on our offense, but it is something that we will continue to address in practice and improve upon."
Carlisle’s early basket sparked the Lady Jaguars on a 15-9 run to pull within seven points of the Black and Gold, 43-36, midway through the second half before UNCP was able to get back on track with a 10-2 run. Although it was Augusta State who would put together the final attack down the stretch on a 9-0 run, it was not enough to take down the Lady Braves who pulled away with the coveted PBC win.
Cotten took to the court for UNCP in her seventh game as a starter for the Lady Braves, finding a pair of treys and the first points on the board. Following Cotten’s lead, the Black and Gold would have the advantage the rest of the way letting Augusta State get as close as two, 8-6, before exploding on a 15-0 run. Though the Lady Jaguars attempted to push back, UNCP kept a comfortable cushion, closing out the first half with a 34-21 lead.
The Lady Braves will return to action on Saturday when they host PBC East rival Armstrong Atlantic (7-8, 4-3) at 1:30 p.m. at the English E. Jones Center. Admission prices are $5 for adults and $2 for children 18 years of age and younger. UNCP students are admitted free with a valid Braves Card.
