Braves Reach Monumental Mark, Down Francis Marion

FLORENCE, S.C. – Visiting UNCP shot better than 51 percent in each half and got double-digit scoring nights from six different players as the Braves reached the 20-win plateau for the first time in 22 years with a 101-95 victory over Francis Marion on Wednesday evening in the Smith University Center.

The triumph marked the fifth-straight win for the Braves (20-8, 13-5 PBC), who have also taken five of the last seven matchups in the series with the Patriots as well. The setback marked the third-straight loss for Francis Marion (11-14, 6-12) who will close out the 2012-13 season on Saturday at Lander.

Quamain Rose tallied his first career double-double outing with 18 points and 10 assists to lead the Braves, who also got 18 points from Brandon Winford on 6-of-10 shooting. Shahmel Brackett and K.J. Cooper each scored 14 points, George Blakeney registered his 13th double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jihad Wright came off the bench to add a dozen points.

Dustin Jones turned in a game-best 27 points for the Patriots, while Evrik Gary scored 22 points in the losing effort. Antonio Freeman and Robert Carpenter came off the bench to add 14 and 10 points, respectively, as well.

The 20-win season marks just the 10th time in the 74-year history of the program that a UNCP club has achieved that mark. The win also gave the Braves a 5-5 record on the road this season - just the second time in the NCAA Division II era that UNCP has finished at .500 or better on the road.

UNCP led by as much as 14 points, 89-75, on a running layup by Rose with 4:04 left to play, but the Patriots outscored the Braves 20-6 down the stretch to climb to within a point, 96-95, on a 3-pointer by Jones with 28 seconds left. The Black & Gold would hold off the furious effort, however, by canning 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch and connecting on its only shot from the field.

A back-and-forth affair for much of the first 12 minutes of the night, the Braves scored nine-straight points to grab a double-digit lead, 38-28, on Brackett's layup with 6:47 left before the break. The Patriots outscored the visitors 14-3 over the next three minutes to grab a short-lived lead with three minutes to play, but the Black & Gold scored the last seven points of the half to take a 51-45 lead into the locker rooms.

The Braves will close out the regular season portion of their 2012-13 campaign on Saturday when they return home to battle USC Aiken (19-6, 15-3) in a 1:30 p.m. Senior Day doubleheader in the English E. Jones Center. The Pacers clinched the 2012-13 PBC Regular Season title with a 56-50 home win against Augusta State on Wednesday.