PEMBROKE – Home-standing UNCP used 69 percent shooting in the first half to take a 15-point lead into the locker room, and then held off a late charge by visiting Shawnee State to secure its seventh win in the last eight outings with an 80-65 win over the Bears on Friday afternoon in the English E. Jones Center.

The triumph helped the Braves (9-4) push their win streak out to three games and gave the Black & Gold its third-straight win in the English E. Jones Center as well. Shawnee State (7-6), who had won six of its last seven heading into Pembroke, tasted defeat for the first time in nearly a month.

George Blakeney scored a team-best 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting to pace three players with double-figure scoring nights for UNCP, including preseason all-American Shahmel Brackett who tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds to record his third career double-double and his first since accomplishing the task against Flagler on February 26. Marcus Heath added 14 points for the hosts as well.

Shawnee State got a game-high 18 points from Tyler Boyles, while three other players scored in double digits for the Bears as well. Tyler Morgan chipped in 15 points despite 6-of-17 shooting from the field, Ian Nixson booked 11 points and Mark Bryant added 10. The Bears shot just 38 percent from the field for the game, including a 27-percent output in the opening stanza.

"(Shawnee State) is a very good basketball team," said UNCP head coach Ben Miller. "They have actually had a couple of upset wins over teams that were ranked first (in NAIA) or ranked among the top 10 in the country. Coach Hamilton does a great job. He's been there for 10 years and this is his best team.

"We've got guys that can put the ball in the basket and I think we are very unselfish so it's fun to watch when they make that extra pass. We were a little careless with the ball in the second half but, for the most part, it was a good effort on offense."

The Braves attained their largest lead of the game, 42-25, on a Brackett jumper just 26 seconds into the second half, but Shawnee State steadily whittled away at its deficit and cut UNCP's lead to single digits, 62-54, on a Banks layup with 5:19 left to play. UNCP would use a mild six-point scoring spurt over the next three minutes, however, to get the visitors at arm's length and secure the win.

Leading by just three points with 11 minutes left on the first half clock, a 3-pointer by K.J. Cooper sparked the Braves on a game-changing 15-4 run over the next four minutes to help the hosts grab a 28-14 lead on a Blakeney lay-in with 7:02 left before the break. The Black & Gold would twice stretch the advantage to 15, including once on a thundering dunk by Nathan Priest with one second left before the buzzer.

The Braves will continue a three-game home stand on Thursday when they step back into Peach Belt Conference play to battle Clayton State (8-2, 1-1 PBC) in the back half of a 5:30 p.m. women's and men's doubleheader in the English E. Jones Center.

To watch the full game click HERE.