PEMBROKE – Sophomore Kierra Haney used 10 rebounds and 12 points to lift the UNCP women's basketball team over nationally ranked No. 22 Wingate, 63-58, as the Lady Braves picked up their fourth straight victory Saturday afternoon at the English E. Jones Center.

This marked the second matchup between UNCP (4-2) and Wingate (4-3) this season, as the Lady Braves split the series with the Bulldogs, 1-1, for the 2012-13 regular season. The Lady Braves picked up their 18th all-time victory over the Bulldogs, with the series record now at 24-18, in Wingate's advantage. 

The Lady Braves were an impressive 54.5 percent from behind the three-point arc, compared to just a 21.1 three-point percentage put up by the Bulldogs. The two squads were evenly matched on rebounds, with Wingate and UNCP grabbing 40 and 39 boards, respectively. Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball, as there were 38 turnovers committed in the game. 

"I'm obviously happy with the win, Wingate is a quality team, and they're going to beat a lot of people this year. The first half we were really, really bad. I don't know what it was, their pressure bothered us and our fundamentals were terrible, we've got to take care of the ball handing stuff," said UNCP head coach John Haskins. "But our girls kept fighting back, I think we got down to as much as seven in the first half, at about the seven or eight minute mark, but the bottom line is we made plays down the stretch and made some big threes. We attacked the basket a couple of times, we made some plays when we needed to and we're fortunate to win the game."

Haney led the way for the Black and Gold, recording the first double-double performance of the season. Amelia Partin contributed 11 points, while Chandrica Fuller and Jasmine Hairston added nine and eight points, respectively. Hairston also led UNCP grabbing four steals, as the Lady Braves totaled eight steals in the game. Fuller and Jazmine Kemp dealt out a team-high five assists apiece for the Lady Braves, while Taylor Gallentine led the UNCP defense with seven defensive boards. 

Wingate got a double-double performance from forward Chantal Dunbar, who scored 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Janitsha Williams and Sarah Wollett each scored in double digits, as Williams notched 15 points and Wollett added 12. 

"When we weren't turning it over, we got some good shots on the basket. Two kids that stand out in my mind who I think had really good games for us are, first of all, Kierra Haney was absolutely fantastic. She's just so athletic and long, and stays after the ball. She played an outstanding game for us. And I think Jasmine Hairston gave us some great minutes off the bench, made a couple steals and a couple big shots. So those two gave us a big lift," said Haskins. 

Both teams entered the second half with 21 points apiece, as the Bulldogs took control in the first five minutes bringing the score to 33-26. With 11 minutes remaining the game, Amelia Partin drained a triple, cutting UNCP's deficit to just one point, at 37-36. A jump shot from Williams, followed by a UNCP turnover that led to a Wingate layup quickly put the Bulldogs back ahead by five. Wingate remained in control of the second half, seeing its biggest lead at 50-42, after consecutive made free throws from Dunbar. At the five-minute mark, Kemp and Partin sparked the UNCP offence, draining a couple of layups, followed by a big trey from Partin. Wayne Mack tied the score at 54-54 and the Lady Braves took control to finish the game out on a 9-4 run.

Turnovers played an important role in the first half, with Wingate capitalizing on 12 UNCP turnovers. The Bulldogs led the Lady Braves 18-14 with less than three minutes remaining in the half, when Hairston grabbed a steal to make a jump shot, putting UNCP within two. Haley Magee followed with a three-point bucket, and Hairston drilled another jump shot to tie the score up with only 29 seconds reaming in the first half. 

UNCP will look to pick up its fifth straight win on Wednesday, December 12 in Murfreesboro, as the Lady Braves matchup against region rival Chowan (0-4) at 5 p.m. in the Helms Center.

To watch the full game click HERE.