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GREENWOOD, S.C. – The visiting UNC Pembroke men's basketball team shot better than 56 percent in the second half to offset an 11-point deficit late in the first and the 22nd-ranked Braves matched the best 10-game start in 21 years with an 83-72 comeback win over Lander on Monday evening in Horne Arena.

The triumph allowed the Braves (9-1, 1-1 PBC) to match the 1999-00 squad for the best 10-game start of the NCAA Division II era (1992-Present) in Pembroke. UNCP has also won seven of the last 10 series matchups with Lander (4-5, 0-2) who has now dropped consecutive games for the first time all season.

Quamain Rose registered a game-best 22 points, while also turning in seven rebounds and five assists, to lead a quartet of Braves with double-figure scoring nights. Griffin Pittman scored 18 points - including 13 in the second half – while Fayetteville native Alex Bradley canned 11. Brandon Winford came within a rebound of grabbing his third double-double of the season, but still finished the night with 12 points on 5-of-6 field goal shooting.

Jareal Smith scored a team-best 21 points for the Bearcats, who also got 14 from Mike Lee and 10 from Michael Panaggio.

Lander pushed a four-point halftime lead out to seven, 40-33, just 12 seconds into the second period, but a pair of free throws by Jacobs at the 17:16 mark sparked the Braves on a 13-2 run that gave them a 52-46 lead following Rose's trey nearly four minutes later.

The Bearcats would hang around, however, and knotted the game back up twice over a span of four minutes midway through the second half. However, down by just one with 3:24 left to play, the Bearcats went cold and shot just 1-for-10 from the field down the stretch to secure their fate.  The drought allowed the Braves to close the game with a 12-2 run.

UNCP led by as much as four points, 14-10, just less than seven minutes into the contest, but shot just 2-for-11 from the field and turned the ball over nine times over the next nine minutes. The cold spell allowed the Bearcats to put together a 20-5 run that gave the hosts a 30-19 edge with 4:31 left to play. Despite the run, the Braves trailed just 37-33 heading into the intermission.

The Black & Gold will close out a two-game road trip on Thursday when it travels to Mount Olive (5-3) for a 7 p.m. tilt in Kornegay Arena.

The Braves will return home again on Sunday when they close out their 2013 slate with a 2 p.m. contest against Coker (5-3). Sunday's outing has been deemed "Ugly Sweater Day" in the English E. Jones Center, and fans donning their ugliest Christmas sweaters will be eligible to win great prizes.