UNCP To Face North Georgia In PBC Hoops Tilt

PEMBROKE – The UNCP basketball teams will close out a two-game road trip when the squads face Peach Belt Conference West Division opponent North Georgia in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Hall Basketball Gymnasium in Dahlonega, Ga. 

The women's game is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. and the men's game will follow the conclusion of the women's game at approximately 3:30.

The Lady Braves (9-13, 5-9 PBC) were upset on the road by Augusta State on Monday when the host Jaguars used a 7-0 run during the final minute of the game to push past the Lady Braves for a 51-44 victory in Augusta, Ga. Senior JaToya Kemp was the leading scorer for the Lady Braves with 15 points and eight rebounds while junior Domonique Washingtonregistered 10 points, eight rebounds and a team-best five assists.

Kemp averages team bests with 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and also leads UNCP in blocks with 21. Washington averages 8.4 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, and holds a team-best 31 steals. Briana Stanton contributes 9.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds while Illya Hunt leads the team in assists with 73. The Lady Braves shoot 40.6 percent from the field and 68.2 percent from the charity stripe.

North Georgia (14-9, 5-7) battled back from a double-digit first-half deficit on Wednesday against Francis Marion in Florence, S.C., to pull out a 67-63 victory, ending a three-game losing streak. Janyce Ealey led North Georgia with a game-high 21 points and 18 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the year while Meredith Montgomery added a season-high 18 points.

Ealey leads the Lady Saints in scoring with averages of 15.2 points and is second on the squad with 7.8 rebounds per game while Lindsey Moss averages the 13.1 points and leads the squad with 8.0 boards per contest. Bianca O'Neal holds a team-best 73 assists whileSarah Stinson leads with 34 blocks. The Saints shoot 38.3 percent from the field and 73.3 from the foul line. North Georgia averages a conference best 30.1 defensive rebounds per game.

UNCP and North Georgia will meet for the 11th time in the all-time series with the Lady Saints holding a 6-5 lead in the series. UNCP won last year's matchup, an 88-85 overtime thriller in Pembroke.

The Braves (14-8, 7-7 PBC) look to make their final push for a spot in the Peach Belt Conference tournament with a win over the Saints on Saturday. UNCP heads into the matchup following a 73-54 loss at the hands of #7 Augusta State on Monday. Junior Nathan Priest led the Braves with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including a 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line. Senior Chris Hargrove added nine points and six rebounds while junior Mike Robinson and sophomore George Blakeney each added six points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore Shahmel Brackett leads the team with an average of 14.6 points per game while Hargrove and Blakeney follow with averages of 11.5 and 11.0 points per game, respectively. Sophomore K.J. Cooper leads the team with 77 assists and Hargrove currently sits third in the conference with an average of 1.9 steals per game during league play.

The Saints (8-13, 5-7 PBC) head into the matchup following a 74-67 loss to Francis Marion on Wednesday. They have lost two of their last three games and have gone 5-5 in their last 10.
Carl Taylor leads the squad with an average of 16.5 points per contest while Clarence Tillman follows with 13.0 points per game.

The Saints hold a 7-2 record in the all-time series and have won the last five matchups.