PEMBROKE – The UNC Pembroke basketball team held on to a one-point advantage, despite a last-ditch comeback attempt by the visiting Fayetteville State Broncos in the final seconds of play to win a 47-46 nail biter on Wednesday evening in the English E. Jones Center.

"There were a couple crazy things there at the end. We did some things that weren't real good, but we still found a way to win and I'm proud of the girls and happy for the girls," said UNCP head coach John Haskins.

With 25 seconds remaining in the game De'Aira Smith came to the line for Fayetteville State (2-1) after Jazmine Kemp's fifth foul of the night. Smith had the chance to tie the game up, however she was only able to make one of her free throws, making the score 46-47 in favor of UNCP (1-2). A foul from the Lady Broncos' Calvin Amber gave Jasmine Huntley a one-and-one, but Huntely was unable to connect, giving possession back to Fayetteville State. A missed layup from Akysia Smith with two seconds on the clock, followed by a flagrant foul by Deja Middleton brought Kierra Haney to the line, but two missed free throws kept the game alive with less than a second till the final buzzer. The Black and Gold turned the ball over as the final seconds tick down, but there was nothing the Lady Broncos' could do as the dramatic ending came to a conclusion with a UNCP victory. 

The Lady Braves entered the second half carrying a five point lead, and were able to stay ahead of Fayetteville State for the majority of the final period. A tip in from Middleton sparked a 6-0 run from the Lady Broncos, tying the game up 41-41 with just under eight minutes to go. Neither team scored for nearly three full minutes, but a layup from Akysia Resper put Fayetteville State up by one, 45-44 at the 3:55 mark. Kemp drained a layup and then completed the three-point play, giving UNCP a 47-45 advantage to try and protect during the final two minutes of play. 

UNCP set the pace early in the first half, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Wayne Mack drilled a jump shot to stretch the lead out to 17-6, for UNCP's largest lead of the night. Fayetteville State came rushing back, using an 11-point run earning its first lead of the night, 19-18, but the Black and Gold closed out the opening frame with a 6-2 run to take a 30-25 lead into the locker room.

Newcomers Avae' Hardy and Jonissa Monley led the way for the UNCP offense, each turning in double-digit points, with 11 points and 10 points, respectfully. Hardy made all of the Lady Braves' shots from behind the arc, going 3-of-5 (37.5 percent) from 3-point territory. Haney kept the defense strong, pulling down a team-best 13 boards. The Lady Braves played aggressive, finishing the night with 22 fouls, including five fouls apiece from Kemp and Haney. 

"We didn't have a lot of shooters out on the floor, so for Avae' stepping up and making those three's was big. She made two in the second half, that really helped us out and pushed a little lead out for us."

Despite the victory, UNCP was only able to connect on 46.2 percent (6-13) of its attempts from the charity stripe, but the Lady Braves were able to best Fayetteville State on the floor, hitting 19-of-54 (35.2 percent) of their shots, compared to 14-of-58 (24.1 percent) shooting from the Lady Broncos.

Middleton notched a double-double after tallying 17 rebounds and 14 points for the Lady Broncos, while Sequoia Morton chipped in another 10 points and seven rebounds. Fayetteville State took advantage of the Lady Braves' mistakes, converting 20 turnovers into 13 points. 

UNCP has won four in a row against the Lady Broncos and improves to 18-9 all-time against the regional rival. 

"It's always good when you come up on the winning side of those close games, it will give us a little confidence to be able to get it done down the stretch," said Haskins. 

Next up the Black and Gold hit the road, making the trip to Laurinburg for a matchup with St. Andrews (3-1) on Tuesday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. at Harris Court. 

To watch the full game click HERE.