PEMBROKE – UNCP used a 7-0 run midway through the second half to gain the upper hand, but needed a pair of late defensive stands in holding off visiting Flagler, 76-71, on Sunday afternoon at the English E. Jones Center.

The win helped the Braves (17-10, 11-6 PBC) stay perfect in seven meetings with the Saints, and also put the finishing touches on an 11-4 record in Pembroke this season. It was the third-straight league loss for Flagler (9-16, 2-15) who dropped its third-straight game in the English E. Jones Center as well. Four of the seven games in the series been decided by five points or less.

Mike Robinson scored a team-best 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while fellow senior Nathan Priest was a workhorse on both ends of the court with 12 points, six rebounds and a game-high three blocks. Shahmel Brackett and K.J. Cooper chipped in 11 points, while George Blakeney added 10 for the Braves as well.

Croatian Ante Gospic tallied a game-high 20 points for Flagler, who also got 16 points from Addison Smith and 14 from Matt Clark. Chad July scored 10 points for the Saints as well.

The game marked the final home contest for four UNCP seniors – Robinson, Priest, Miguel Starkey and Marcus Heath.

"(Flagler) played great. I was really impressed with them," said UNCP head coach Ben Miller. "They were hard to guard because they have a lot of weapons. (Mike Robinson and Nathan Priest) really had a good weekend for us. I am really happy for them. They are really coming on down the stretch in their senior year."

Flagler took their first lead of the ball game, 48-45, on Clark's 3-pointer with 16:21 left to play and led by as much as five points two minutes later, but Priest's dunk at the 11:13 mark sparked the hosts on a 7-0 run that, inevitably, gave them a 61-54 edge with 9:53 remaining. Flagler whittled its deficit down to just two points, 65-63, with just more than six minutes left, but UNCP answered with a 9-2 run that sealed the deal.

July's layup at the 2:25 mark cut UNCP's lead back to 74-71, but the Saints turned the ball over twice down the stretch and missed both of their shots from the field, including July's layup with two seconds left that was swatted away by Priest.

The Braves led by as much as 15 points following a 13-0 run early in the first half, but Flagler slowly cut into the margin before scoring the last nine points of the opening period to tie the contest at 39 apiece heading to the locker rooms.

The Braves will close out the regular season portion of their 2011-12 schedule on Saturday when they head to Greenwood, S.C., to lock horns with Lander (16-8, 9-7) in a 3:30 p.m. matchup inside Horne Arena.

To watch the full game click HERE.